Well in Hand
by Materia-Blade
Summary: Naruto died as he lived. Saving anyone and everyone who he believed deserved it... Even the Kyuubi. Guilt is not an emotion Kyuubi had ever been well acquainted with. In his remorse, the Nine Tails vowed to do anything he could to repay the blonde boy who'd given him everything. Too bad Sakura got caught in the middle. A Time Travel story.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Shit not mine.

**Prologue**

* * *

><p>The north-bound wind told jounin Sakura Haruno many things. It told her she was in a mountain pass, for all knew that wind only blew east to west in the elemental nations. For the wind to blow south to north, she had to be in a pass. Either that... or she'd been transported off the map entirely.<p>

But the valley or pass, was wide. So wide that it nearly seemed a plain. Even so, she knew that had to be true.

She wouldn't have much trouble believing that either considering who her captor was but assuming she _hadn't _been magicked to some faraway plane of existence, or wasn't under an elaborate genjutsu, she was most definitely in a mountain pass. Such places were the only way to find winds that travelled north at such a strong speeds.

The wind told her that it was spring. A full two months since her capture. Featherlocks and clofynes were blooming, and their scents wafted across her nose like tantalizing snippets of freedom that she was beginning to believe she might never again taste.

The sun shining above her had drifted across the sky and that was how she knew they were travelling north. It had trailed across the sky from east to west as it had always done, and from that she gleaned her position. Some of the farthest reaches of Earth Country unless she missed her guess. Flowers were blooming but only just. This place was one of the coldest on the land, and unless she missed her guess they were nearly off the edge of the map.

The wind also told her profoundly that her captor had killed once again. An entire city of villagers this time. People, cattle, chickens, pets, children and all. The wind was rife with the smell of blood. It was eerie, mingling with the flowers. Like sugar poured on an open grave.

Weariness tinged Sakura's legs and arms, and she longed for the warmth and comfort of home. But she wouldn't have it again. Probably never again. It saddened her, but this was her lot. She'd become a ninja. And she'd had wonderful years... At least she could die knowing that.

"You're lagging." Her captor commented. It wasn't a scornful tone. Not even a rebuke really. He hadn't tortured her. Even in his madness he seemed unwilling to harm her. Kidnapping her though? That, he appeared perfectly capable of.

"And?" She hissed hatefully. Her hands were no longer bound but they might as well have been. The seal upon her breast was her prison. Her chakra stolen, her strength reduced to that of a mere civilian, she had no choice but to follow the half crazed lunatic. Or he would tie her again, and then she would have to deal with being _dragged_across the endless mountains of the north.

Oh how she _longed_to be in bed at home. To have the medical ward of the hospital waiting for her, and the bastard of a Hokage breathing down her neck... Even that was better than the ravings of this lunatic.

"Must we...?" The blonde-haired shinobi asked with a tired edge to his voice. "I have no care to do so." He said with an exasperated gesture towards the rope hanging from the back of his worn travel sack. "We need to keep pace."

Sakura glared at the blonde, hatred seething from her. "By the six paths, where the _fuck_are we going! Can you at least give me that?"

The man hesitated. Wind buffeted his neon orange cloak and his eyes shimmered, blue as they were in childhood but so distant that they belonged on only the face of grandfathers who have lived through too many dead sons.

"We are but a day away." The man replied. "I suppose it is safe to tell you. So long as you keep up."

The sun overhead made trace amounts of sweat glisten on Sakura's forehead. She was dirty, tired, and angry. She smelled of dirt and sweat. Even with all this the idea of finally knowing why her captor had gone through so much trouble, why they had spent months walking north, had her giddy with excitement.

"We are going to the edge." The man said cryptically.

Sakura blinked. _The edge? The edge of what? Surely he couldn't mean...!_

"Wh-why? What do you want there?" She asked, feeling suddenly nauseous.

The blonde man gave her a wide grin, that seemed too wide for a human's face. "Is the monkeylette afraid?" He asked, his head cocking unnaturally to the side, reminiscent of clowns she'd seen with her mother in festivals at a young age. The whisker marks on his cheeks and the knowledge that this depraved creature had once been her friend made the scene all the more disturbing.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't." Haruno replied soundly, feeling no shame in it. "Will you tell me?" She appeased.

Naruto Uzumaki, Missing Nin of the Leaf lost his crazed grin as fast as it had grown. But where he had been cryptic before, now he was a blunt as a bludgeon. "I plan on throwing you off it."

Sakura gulped, inwardly horrified. Outwardly, she did her level best to hide this terror.

"May I ask why?" She would've liked to tell herself that the wheedling sound that burbled between her lips at those words, minding her of a kicked Akamaru at the age of thirteen, were hunger-pangs. But they weren't.

The blond went contemplative. He places his chin in the palm of his hand. Then he jerked, staring at his own hand as if it were a noxious morsel of mold on an otherwise delicious pie. "Certainly, you may ask!" He said abruptly turning his attention back to her, then trailing off into a fit of giggling that made her skin crawl.

Sakura admitted to fear rather easily. Naruto Uzumaki had been her superior since the beginning. Since their days on team seven when her self-confidence had taken blow after blow from the superiority of the boys with her.

Since then, her fame had spread worldwide. Her bloodline was among the most powerful the world had ever known. Some said it even rivaled the legendary Sharingan. It did. _She_, not their current Hokage, had been the one to defeat Itachi Uchiha. _She_ had laid waste to the powers of Orochimaru and his little village of experiments and sickness. While their Hokage was _busy._

_Rebuilding his clan... fucking bastard._

Okay. So in retrospect, Sasuke hadn't begun to resent her until _after_ she'd killed Itachi. But that didn't give him any right to cheat on her. So she'd killed his brother? The damn avenger _should've _been happy.

No. Not so easy... Nothing could actually make _sense_with the Uchiha.

But that said, he'd been the greatest Hokage since the Sandaime. He expanded the borders by the day it seemed. He knew what threats needed attention and sent the appropriate teams to dispatch them. The Will of Fire was _alive_in the people with the bastard at the head. Who was she to resent him for dipping his cock in a different woman every night...?

Who indeed.

But the Hokage _was_ stronger than her. He could've beaten Itachi. He'd just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. While she...? Well, it was all she could do to not gape at the mirror when she realized her face was clear of the wounds she remembered taking, clear as day. The Tsukiyomi had been... painful and eye opening. But she had defeated it.

Sasuke on the other hand…? He didn't rely on the Sharingan alone. Her childhood teammate. His star outshone hers and she hated it. As for the Uzumaki? That was an entirely different bag of fish.

Her chakra swelled the size of oceans when as a genin the whole of it could barely fit into a teardrop. Maybe even less, then. Maybe even _more, _now. Still Sasuke dwarfed her. Where she'd been able to destroy Itachi, Sasuke didn't rely only on his Sharingan. Surprising.

And here... Naruto still outclassed her as well.

The only difference it seemed now was the stakes. Back then the joy of a small island nation, the bad company men, and the pay at the end of each mission were all that mattered.

...Now?

"I almost chose Sasuke." Naruto said lowly after sometime had passed. "His fondness for the Uchiha rivaled yours, but in the end... well. I don't think the Uchiha could change anything. Not for the better at least."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "He seems to have done well for Konoha. Taking your dream. Why not?"

Naruto scoffed. "Not _my_ dream. Monkey. Anyway, where you're going, you won't be able to _keep_from changing things. Sasuke? He wouldn't."

A tick formed on Sakura's brow. "And... where am I going? I don't feel like throwing me off the edge of the world will help me change anything." She couldn't help the stab of spite. Afraid yes, but never to afraid to be affronted.

That grin that minded her of Gaara during the Chunin exams so long ago crossed Naruto's face and he cocked his head again. "Don't worry Sakura-chan." The pet name sounded nothing like Naruto's old voice. Nothing at all. "I won't send you off alone. You would be too frightened I'm sure, monkeylette."

_Great. _Sakura thought. _He's more insane than I thought. Why does he keep calling me a...? _

It was pointless to keep thinking. Naruto had been a missing ninja for almost five years now. Ever since the battle at the valley of the end. He'd kept his promise, only to disappear himself. Sasuke returned, glum as ever, and hell bent on his revenge as he always had been. The seal that Orochimaru had left on his neck was nowhere to be found.

Naruto though... He was just gone. Not a whisper, not a thread.

Until now.

Sakura made a feeble attempt to come up with another escape plan she'd tried hundreds of times already. The seal on her breast was impenetrable as it was impossible. No seal should be able to completely block human chakra. But this one did. Worst still the strange kanji glowed a lime green like the color of a medic jutsu.

She cringed inwardly. Medic jutsu. Pah! She still remembered the first time she'd beaten Tsunade. That hadn't even been one of her more pressing milestones. Sasuke had sailed right on by...

She tried to focus, realizing that the thought of her upcoming death at the hands of a madman who had once been her friend was sending her thoughts into a flight.

There was little she could do though. Little and less still. So she walked, following her captor and smelling the featherlocks and clofynes and dreaming of home in all its hateful bitterness. No loves. No passions. Not really even any companions since Ino died. Taken by the bloody _pox_of all things. Fucking Tsunade. Best medic nin, her ass.

Only training. Only the art of being a ninja to comfort her. Only the knowledge of knowing she was _second._

_Third_, she amended with another glance to the blonde.

As if her eyes upon him had been a queue, the blonde boy turned around and flopped down on a particularly comfortable looking rock. He set aside his pack, pulling a loaf of bread and a few apples that had seen better days from the bottom of it. He tossed her the loaf and began to gnaw on the apple. He glared at it hatefully as if it had _wronged_him in some way. As if eating it was punishment for its own existence.

"A day then, huh?" Sakura asked sadly, glancing around the mountain passes at the bits of shrubbery and the wildflowers that covered the area.

"A day." The boy nodded. "A day, and I can set right the wrongs of the past..."

Sakura didn't know how to respond from this, so instead she began to nibble on the loaf. A nibble became gorging as she realized the bread was quite good.

"I don't suppose you've heard of Akatsuki... have you?" Naruto asked suddenly, sounding unnervingly like his old self for a moment.

Sakura shrugged. "Can't say that I have. Why?"

Naruto sighed. "We are close enough. No one is following. I think I can afford to tell you the story now, Monkeylette."

Sakura sat throwing her legs across one another in interest. "Do tell."

"I am _not_ Naruto Uzumaki." The boy said coldly.

Sakura was unsurprised. "Reeeaaally?" She drawled wryly.

In response to her bating, the man gave a smirk. "Truly."

"Then who _are_ you?" Sakura asked, unconvinced.

The boy shrugged indifferently. "A mere shadow of what I once was. And yet... I am more. I am thought. I am belief. I am... free in a way that I never was before. But caged by my debt. By guilt. It... pains me."

Sakura cocked her head sideways. This was intriguing. Her captor was in pain? Hell yeah...

"Before I was sealed into a human body, I was a beast. Mindless, single minded. A being of rage and of delight. Little more than an animal. I followed my base instincts as a rabbit might run from the wind. As a bear might catch fish." He said with scorn. Even so, she detected trace amounts of regret in the man's soft words.

"I was easily controlled. Easily manipulated. I was sealed. In my beastly it is surprising I remained free and rabid for as long as I did. I can admit that now. Your kind... your kind is clever. For monkeys." The sun-haired man said with a small measure of grudging respect.

Sakura listened intently. At least she would have a story to take with her to her grave.

"When I was sealed, I was numb with rage. For years it was all I had. Trapped, imprisoned in the body of beings who were so small that I should've been able to crush them beneath my paws! I've only felt such anger once since." He trailed off, an edge of bitterness tingeing his blue eyes. "But... as time passed, the humans influenced me. Before... before I was just a monster. Just a beast with no thought, no form. But living within the human body, I began to take on their characteristics. Thought. The ability to learn from my mistakes. The need for companionship... even love, entered me. I grew... smarter. And with each leap I gained I began to look back with shame on the thing that I was. A fox with rabies. A big fox. But a fox nonetheless."

Sakura was almost completely lost by this point. A fox? A beast? None of these things described Naruto very well. Sure he'd been a troublemaker in school but... wait what was that about sealing? Bah. She'd never been very good at fuinjutsu. And why did he keep talking about himself as if he weren't human?

"The yondaime and the boy changed everything." The whiskered blonde said.

The yondaime. He'd died only a few weeks after Sakura was born. What did he have to do with... wait hadn't there been an attack on the village then? October tenth was a day all the adults celebrated the Yondaime's death. Killing a... damn. Near photographic memory and _now_it abandoned her.

"Time passed, but I was a bitter creature. I was angry for the loss of my freedom. Angry and spiteful. Even _years_ after I'd been sealed away I still hated and still raged. Thirteen years. Only recently have I finally lost that terrible hatred that governed me for so long." The man looked weary suddenly, but Sakura had the intense feeling that the telling of this story was helping him far more than her.

"I was sealed into your brat of a teammate. Your dobe. Your dead last. Your savior, though you never knew it. I would've slain your parents and your grandparents and your friends and your enemies and everyone you've ever known. Then I would've scorched the earth so strongly that a plant wouldn't grow there for millennia, if not for your Uzumaki Naruto and his father." Naruto gave a sigh and a shrug. Fond remembrances danced across his eyes, memories that Sakura couldn't pick out.

"Wait you were sealed in Naruto? You mean like Gaara?" Sakura asked, finally making sense of the sealing bit. So this wasn't Naruto? This was... something clicked in her mind. A memory from her childhood.

_The Yondaime. The Yondaime had saved the village from-!_" You're the Kyuubi no Kitsune! By god you're the strongest of the tailed beasts aren't you!"

Naruto smiled. A foxy grin. Sakura felt her heart warm just a little at that. The man was older than the Naruto she remembered from five years ago, but she would have to be a fool not to recognize the joyful eyes of her old teammate. So carefree. So determined. Such an enigma. Sakura felt a fool. All her youth _wasted_on the bastard of a Hokage when something so bright had stood right next to her. Waiting, like a bonfire just around the corner. She'd felt the warmth then, but ignored it, preferring to roast her marshmallows in the icy river that had been Sasuke Uchiha.

"Naruto spoke so highly of you. He always has. His joy at your fame was something I delighted in during these last few years, secretly, in the corner of me that I refused to recognize. I'm glad to see his beliefs were not unfounded." Naruto said. His voice was lucid. The creepy humor that he had been showing her for so long was fading away. Monkeylette. Why had it taken her so damn long!

"He... never told me." She voiced bitterly, realizing with a sudden start that she believed this figment from stories that came to her in the shape of Naruto. "All that time together and he never told me."

"He was afraid. I was... not so kind then as I am now. He feared you would hate him." Naruto replied carefully as if trying to choose the right words.

Sakura thought for a moment. Then sighed. "He was right to be. I would've shunned him. Petty little thing I was... I'd've been _afraid_of him. Pah. There are worse things than demons. There are humans who hate more than you..." Her mind trailed to Orochimaru. A few strands of tears came to her eyes at that.

_So many children. So... many dead experiments..._

"The Valley of the End." The whiskered man said continuing with his story, holding up a finger. "It was the peak of my anger. I hated Naruto so much. I hated him with a passion that none can sympathize with. Your Sasuke's hatred for his brother was a pale echo of my own anger. Not just at Naruto, either. I hated myself for what I had been when I was free. I hated that I'd never really had freedom. A thousand years and longer I have lived, and each generation saw a new technique or trick that you monkeys used to manipulate me. I've destroyed more countries than your map now holds at the whims of monkeys with enough brains to know how to send me into a rampage. It... hurt. My attack on Konoha was just one of a thousand similar stories. The only difference was that Konoha had the Yondaime."

Sakura beamed with pride at that unconsciously. There was no place like Konoha. There never was, and there never would be another. Even if the current Hokage was a cheating son-of-a...!

She stopped her thoughts there before they got out of hand. No use crying over spilt milk.

"But the Gaki, your Naruto, loved more than I could ever hate. He fought Sasuke. He used my power and he won. Even more, Naruto saved Sasuke by destroying Orochimaru's cursed seal. He shoved my chakra into that unsightly pimple and popped it as such."

Sakura gave a small giggle at that. The image of Sasuke with a pimple was enough to send her laughing. Oh she felt like a child... This was serious! She had to focus! Damn this bread was good! It had been a long time since she'd talked with anyone who disliked Sasuke Uchiha as much as she, and the taste was refreshing.

…Sasuke with pimples... She giggled again.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing in regards to her strange behavior.

"Naruto had used too much of my power by then. Three tails. He tried to stop. To put my power back within him, but the cap was already off the bottle. His chakra was tinged with red and no matter what he tried he could not return to being... _normal. _I wouldn't let him." Bitterness again. A man filled with self loathing and regret.

Sakura felt his sorrow. Even after the two months since she'd been kidnapped, this short conversation was already assuaging her anger. It was hard to stay angry at someone who so clearly hated himself.

"So he left." Sakura interjected. "Rather than let his precious people discover his secret and fear him, he left."

_Naruto protected us all, and after all this time we'd just thought he walked away. That arrogant Uchiha ass! He came back acting like Naruto had done nothing at all... And of course I was there to swoon. _Sakura's thoughts turned grim at that. She hated how foolish she'd been.

Naruto nodded. "Indeed. But he never stopped protecting Konoha. Never. You think your Hokage has done well? Wrong. The boy is the reason for your peace, your prosperity."

Sakura smiled. That... that felt good.

"What happened for the next few years is largely irrelevant." Naruto intoned. "Suffice to say that he spent his time helping little children out of burning buildings and old ladies cross streets. I never told him... how much it touched me. His care. Enough of such a thing can soften the hearts of even the demon of rage."

The pink-haired girl grew concerned as tears welled in Naruto's eyes. She almost rose but Naruto halted her with an open palm as he wiped his eyes vigorously. "Damn these human emotions." The blonde cursed with a tear-stained sniff. "A double edged sword if ever there was one. Some so marvelous that they can destroy you to your soul. Some so horrible they can lift mountains and bend seas to their whim."

"Heh. Yeah they'll... they'll do that." She replied awkwardly. "What happened?"

Sakura watched the blonde swallow. She could almost see the visible knot of guilt clogging his neck. For a being crafted of pure rage, guilt must have been such a foreign emotion. Sakura had been known for her empathy. For her mercy. Damn if she wasn't going to let it out now.

"My original question." Naruto stated, finally regaining his composure. "Akatsuki."

Sakura strained her memory hoping for a glimpse or a glimmer. She found one, from a cobweb covered memory of a conversation with Jiraiya and the Godaime. "Oh wait! They were some cult weren't they...? I thought they all died out a while back. Jiraiya was a bit concerned about them for a while..."

"He would be." The tailed beast in human form replied somberly. "Akatsuki was a team of elite S rank ninja with a common goal of gathering the bijuu. All of them."

The pink haired Kunoichi blinked in astonishment. "_All _of them? Were they insane?" She asked quite plainly shocked.

"Yes." Naruto stated with a finality that shook her. "They sought to revive a fallen god, hoping to reshape the world anew. And they nearly succeeded."

"You're joking." Sakura stated plainly. "No one is that strong. The bijuu containers are..." Sakura's thoughts trailed to Gaara. Supposedly the _weakest_ of the containers. He was a maelstrom in battle. A man worth thousands. She'd take him as an ally over any other person she'd ever met... save perhaps Naruto. And someone gathered _all_ of them? "God, you destroyed half of Konoha the night you got loose... And they were going to raise something _stronger?_"

Naruto nodded, seeming relatively unaffected by her outburst.

"The death toll alone would have..." The kunoichi stared, almost in shell shock with the new information. "Hell I'd probably have been forced to stay a medic nin with threats like that against us on principle alone..."

"Shukaku, Nekomata, Isonade, Sokou, Houkou, Raiju, Kaku, Orochi." Naruto ticked them off one by one. "All of them were gathered and stored. Only one still remained. Me. Kyuubi no Youko. Naruto's journey and most of his hardships stemmed from dealing with the members of this group."

Sakura still wasn't convinced. "But... wait, I've seen Gaara recently! He is the container of the Shukaku. I'm sure of it! Naru... you. You fought him during the Chunin exams."

Naruto gave a shake of the head. "Gaara _was_ the container. Now? Now Shukaku is dead, along with the rest of them. Only I remain..."

"H-how?" She asked, only slightly off balance. If the tailed beasts were dead... wasn't that something people should know about? Nothing of this had come to Konoha! Not a whisper!

Naruto ignored the question, preferring to continue his story instead. "Naruto, too, was captured. He killed three of these Akatsuki before they finally took him but still he was captured. But... when they tried to extract me. When... when they began to tear me away from him..."

"What happened, Kyuubi?" Sakura asked, eager for the story. She felt sympathy for the blonde's tears. Regret. But she needed to know. She _had_to know.

"You must understand... I had been able to speak to Naruto for years. There was a cage. A prison in his mind that held me from the moment I first entered the seal. His influence on me was strong though. When I was first sealed I was a rage demon. I could feel no other emotion. No worry for tomorrow. No thought for yesterday. So... so when they began to extract me, that was the first time I ever truly felt afraid. Our fights with Orochimaru, or other members of the Akatsuki had held no fear for me. If the boy died I would be free. That was that.. But this...? This was my own death. My own destruction. These people were going to use me and destroy me to bring back the being that spawned us."

The green-eyed girl had nothing to say. Pity aplenty but she was aware that she was still kidnapped at the moment. Even still, her eyes begged him to continue.

"And... the boy. Your dead last. He came to the cage in my mind and watched me. I begged him to help me! I... I was so terrified of my own death that _I_ begged the _Gaki _to save me! He smiled. After all my years of hatred. All my rage against him, all of his life I had ruined. He tore off the seal and entered my cage in his mind." The man paused for breath, and Sakura realized that she'd been holding hers. Naruto Uzumaki. Who had he been, really?

"That didn't matter, of course." Naruto continued. "Seal or no, I was still being sucked away, stored like some fledgling djinn in a bottle to be used and destroyed. I was helpless. And he... he took my place."

Sakura blinked. "What?" She asked, confused.

"Rather than allow me to be consumed, he placed his own soul in the way. He dived into the containment field where the other bijuu had already been collected. Human chakra was not meant for the Conclave of the Caracrass. His chakra, by then nearly a match for my own, melded with that of the other bijuu in the same way sulfur melds with water. The Akatsuki screamed in affront, incapable of comprehending what was happening as their precious Conclave exploded in the middle of the ritual. I on the other hand was suddenly, unerringly free. The remaining members of Akatsuki died as the Kyuubi no Kitsune's rage once again colored the skies black!"

The pink-haired girl shivered. Naruto's voice sounded strangely ethereal as he spoke, his voice tinged with a background of lightning and thunder.

"Naruto... He would do that wouldn't he?" She asked idly.

"Without a second thought." The Kyuubi replied invariably. "All the time I spent watching him... I was jealous. Jealous of those he loved while all he had for me was hate. He loved people he didn't know, but there was never any to spare for the Kyuubi..."

Sakura frowned. That sounded a bit petulant.

"...but there _was_! Even I could be loved... Even I. He died. For _me! _Who would die for a demon? And now... now I'm slowly forgetting _why."_

"I... I'm sorry for your loss. Naruto was a good friend to me as well." She said this, even though she didn't really understand what he was talking about. Her own bit of self bitterness filtered in after that thought. A man like that...? A man good enough to die _for_such an undeserving creature? Sakura only wished she could find such a one. If only she hadn't been so blind...

"That is why I need you." The Kyuubi said, his voice singing with Naruto's tongue.

Right. That was why she'd been angry with him. How under the six paths had she forgotten?

"Why? Why me? And why did you wait so long to tell me? What's this _goddamn _seal on my chest!" She hissed as anger came back at the remembrance of that tiny little detail. "And why in hell do you want to throw me off the edge of the world?"

Naruto remained solemn. Unblinking. "I... I am afraid. Once again." He said mutely.

"Of what? The Akatsuki are dead aren't they?" Sakura asked idly.

Naruto nodded, but then hesitated. "Yes... all but one. He is of no importance though. I... what I fear is..."

"Spit it out!" Sakura growled impatiently.

Naruto's eyes narrowed, and Sakura was suddenly reminded that she was the captive. A trail of sweat trickled down her neck as a maelstrom of invisible chakra flooded the area, then quieted just as quickly.

"I am _afraid._" The man said the word in the way a mouse might speak of a snake. "Of becoming what I was... before. Of becoming that mindless... I... don't want to be that either. I don't want to be fooled into attacking villages because I'm too stupid to realize that one monkey is not the same as another. I..."

Sakura's frowned evaporated as horror replaced it. Kyuubi. A rage demon, give emotions by proxy of dwelling within a human. Now the demon was... losing its ability to feel? Sakura felt cold. What would it be like to wake up each day wondering if it was the last one in which you would understand joy? Or sorrow? Or love?

"Each day I can feel the rage returning. My intellect, my human emotions are ebbing away. Even this body... this body of the friend I cherish so, is fading. Soon I will again be the demon fox Kyuubi no Kitsune." He stated without the air of pride Sakura might've expected.

"And you think I can help?" She asked, suddenly hopeful.

"Not think." He stated glumly. "Know."

Sakura frowned as she thought about the man's words. What was he trying to elude to. Was he...?

Suddenly it all clicked. The Kyuubi, if Sakura didn't miss her guess, loved Naruto. Only his death had been enough to make the creature realize it. And who better to take Naruto's place than the one the sun kissed blonde had admired so?

"You want me to become your Jinchuriiki." She stated.

The man nodded. "I... would like that very much."

"You... you want to be imprisoned again? I mean, it just seems like... I don't know. You've hated it for so long. Now that your finally free you want to be sealed again. It all seems so grim." Sakura sighed looking Naruto in the eyes.

He was dirty. More so than even she. He knew how, she was certain, from watching Naruto, but the reason behind it was beyond him. His teeth were jagged and cut. Probably from eating raw wildlife, unless the blood on his black and orange jumper was something else. Unaccustomed to feeding himself in a human form, Kyuubi probably did what he remembered.

She smiled at him and couldn't help but feel the comparison to a wounded kitten. Taken in, fixed and then thrown back out to the wild after having grown used to the petting and pampering the vet had given. She didn't make this comparison aloud, but she couldn't help but feel it.

"She stood finally, and approached her captor of two months. Not close enough to hug him, she instead gave him a pat on the back. He was tense but it eased at the feeling of her palm rubbing gently along his shoulder as she circled him. She bend down, hovering over the rock he sat on, and stared him in the eyes.

So fragile. So afraid. So new to fear. It hurt her inside to see this once great being so vulnerable.

"I'll be your Jinchuriiki." She said resolutely. "I promise."

Naruto met her eyes, and the pink-haired girl saw the purest gratitude in them. "Thank you."

Sakura smiled. So this was her fate. The cage for the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Life's strange twists! But one thing still bugged her.

"Can you please take the seal off me now? I'm not going to run anywhere." She asked, poking her left breast irritably. Knowing that the green and blue symbols below were shimmering on her skin still irritated her. The Kyuubi had apparently been quiet enough to sneak into her house and paint _on her goddamn breast_while she slept. Without disturbing her. That spoke of skill.

And if that wasn't enough the endless escape attempts that he had thwarted almost without a care spoke for his skill in finding her. It was... irritating.

"No!" Kyuubi laughed, wearing Naruto's old grin. "Actually, that's the first step of the sealing. If you're going to be my Jinchuriiki then you need to have nearly completely empty Chakra pathways."

Sakura blinked. _Well that explains why I've been feeling so weak the past few days. _She thought in a lightening mood. She'd never realized just how much she'd come to depend on Chakra. It gave her pride to know that nearly two months of Chakra drain had only just begun to truly deplete her reserves.

"And the edge? You still haven't told me what you meant before." She asked with a hint of doubt in her voice.

"The edge... It would be fatal to any of you _monkeys._" Sakura had a funny feeling that Kyuubi would never stop calling humans monkeys. "But to I? The edge is no fear. I have a debt to repay, and Time will not stop me."

The way he said _time_sent a shiver up the back of Sakura's spine. And she believed him.

* * *

><p>Another day passed. Another day of walking, for Naruto anyways. Since she had agreed, Naruto had placed the second design of the seal upon her breast while she'd slept. And when she'd awoken, her vast quantities of chi had depleted to near death levels.<p>

Waking up to find that the bastard had been able to undress her and paint on her _again_had been humiliating but she hid it as best she could. Whether he looked human or not, if his story was to be believed, he was the Nine Tailed Kyuubi. She doubted lust even registered with him.

"I still don't understand why you decided to paint it on my _breast!" _She hissed angrily, out of the blue as he carried her.

Naruto met her eyes easily. "Because women rarely ever show them. The seal on the Gaki's stomach gave him no end of trouble..."

Sakura paused. That... made sense.

"...And because I find them delightful."

Kyuubi was nursing a black eye and scowling at her moments later. She shrugged and scowled right back.

They were approaching the edge. Sakura could feel it in her bones. There was an air of... holiness about this place. As if she was not meant to come here. The weather was wrong. The sky was wrong. Even the mountains were wrong.

Wind travelled in directions that it had no business flowing. One moment it blew normally east to west, and then seconds later it changed direction. Only to be flowing north to south mere moments after that! She tried to find some semblance of order to it, to pass the time, but in the two hours since it had begun acting strangely she'd found no pattern.

The sun changed places. Literally. One moment it was dead noon. Then as they walked it would... shift. Always just out of notice though. It would be morning, and only after it had moved would Sakura notice the difference. Then she would find herself trying to catch the wind's pattern, and before she knew it, sunset would be upon them.

Then noon again. All just on the edge of her awareness. She contemplated asking the Kyuubi but she doubted he would be able to make sense of it either. If he'd been a beast all his life, it was unlikely that he understood any better than she.

Which made him wonder how the Kyuubi knew so much about the edge anyway.

Another two hours passed in silence before Naruto grew frustrated. "Damn I don't remember it being this far!" He hissed impatiently.

Sakura chuckled. "You used to take steps that were the length of towns."

The blonde blinked at that. "I also didn't have to carry a Monkeylette. Why are you so heavy?"

Sakura's eyes went black. And this time Naruto found himself with a swelled cheek, and an irritated tick on his brow.

"That was unnecessary." He told her calmly, trying not to succumb to the rage building within him, while quietly nursing a jaw that ached more than he would like to admit.

"I disagree." Sakura replied. Then, she folded her arms under her breasts and huffed. It was humiliating enough to be carried like this, but to be insulted on top of that? Naruto was a baka, no matter who was behind the face.

God she wished her own legs would support her.

Another short while later Sakura met Naruto's eyes again. "You are _sure_ you aren't trying to kill me?" She murmured. She was so tired... her body felt like a lead weight. It didn't _hurt_exactly, it just did everything else. Her ears felt muffled, her eyelids drooped, her limbs were nearly immobile. She felt thankful that she could actually chew the food Naruto had given her.

"You wouldn't be of any use to me dead, Monkeylette. No use to the Gaki either." Naruto replied haughtily. It was that very tone that made her certain this wasn't Naruto. It gave her confidence.

The green eyed girl was beginning to think Kyuubi used the word 'Gaki' as a term of endearment for Naruto. Irritably, she suspected that 'Monkeylette' was to be her own.

"Well that's good to hear. Not very reassuring though." She reasoned. She was older now, but she remembered a time when being told she would be of no use dead would've offended her. So naive...

"We're here." The blonde interrupted her thoughts suddenly, just as the crested the top of a particularly tall mountain.

Sakura gaped.

Where the downhill slope of the mountains other side should have been, was a solid cliff, completely flat and smooth as glass straight down into an endless abyss of darkness that stretch as far to the west and east as she could see, as far to the north.

The temptation to lean over the edge was tantalizing but her instinctive reaction was to jerk away, back down the mountain. Back to the familiar... Held bridal style in Naruto's unfathomably strong arms though, she barely even managed a twitched.

"I know." The sun-haired shinobi chuckled. "It still awes me even after all this time."

"This is incredible!" Sakura exclaimed, heated rapture taking over her. Never had she seen so grand and so terrifying a sight. The edge of the world... they'd made it.

The wind now buffeted everything. Over the edge of the cliff there was no ground. Just darkness, so deep and so all consuming that Orochimaru's darkest techniques would look like sunlight by comparison. The mountains all ended, all the way east and west at this abrupt cliff. As if they were hills of sand that had been pushed up against the side of a glass box, she could see them from the outside. The earth was not welcome beyond that point. As if the great sea of darkness spoke out saying: _"This is where reality ends and dreams begin."_

In the sky, a thunderstorm began, clouds bunching up to the edge of the mountains, but didn't cross over to Sakura's realm. Black clouds, that periodically lit with lightning, hidden by their immensity. There was no thunder. Endless dances of white and black, but no thunder.

"Are you ready?" Naruto asked calmly as he laid her down on the rock ground next to the edge. "You may still return now, but after this, there is no coming back. We are leaving this world behind for another. You will not be able to take anything with you but your memories."

She hesitated. Was her life so awful here that she was willing to risk everything? No. No it wasn't.

Konoha flourished. Children sang and played happily. The _world_flourished. The peace between Fire and Lightning countries had dominoed into a worldwide phenomenon the likes of which Shinobi had never known. Decade long disputes miraculously settled and Ninja began to lay down their hatred and their powers by the day.

It was a world of joy, and an era that poets would sing of.

But... it was empty. Her life wasn't awful, but neither did it have meaning. Sasuke was there to shepherd the world through the paths of peace that Naruto had paved. But what need was there for Sakura? Ino, her best friend was long gone. Naruto... A boy who'd she'd only barely glimpsed the surfaces of. He'd done so much and nothing had been given him in return.

"One thing." She asked politely. "Could you... make a gravestone for me?"

Kyuubi nodded. His vast red chakra left his body and a slab of mountain erupted from the earth. Before her eyes shards of wind sliced it into a headstone that would've cost thousands.

"What would you like it to say?"

Sakura thought for a moment, before deciding on the words of her final marker in this world. "This spot marks where Sakura Haruno left this world and entered the next. Perhaps there, she will be _useful." _It was a small jab at Sasuke, but more a fervent hope. She'd outlived whatever purpose she'd had here. Maybe there she could find a new one.

The words carved themselves into the headstone before her eyes, and then the great silvery block slammed itself into the ground at the edge of the world.

"I'm ready." Sakura stated calmly. She smiled. Naruto. She wondered if he would be just as she remembered? He'd completed the promise of a lifetime. He'd sent Sasuke back. He deserved the kiss on the cheek she'd never been able to give him.

Ino Yamanaka... She'd had so many wasted opportunities to mend their broken friendship, but she had squandered them. The girl's disease took her before she'd had the chance to really get to know the platinum blonde again. But now...?

"Yeah. I'm ready." She repeated.

"Then let us begin." Naruto uttered as he turned to face her. Then, he reached out and casually squeezed her breast.

"What the fu-!" Sakura didn't manage to finish as pain unlike any she had ever imagined engulfed her. Her screams filled the mountains like the sound of a slain banshee.

Naruto ignored them. His chakra roared a bloody red as he began to carve the final markings of the seal into her skin, and push his soul into her.

Consciousness left her, but her screams didn't cease.

An eternity seemed to pass for Sakura. After what seemed a thousand years, her eyes fluttered open weakly. Her shirt was shredded. Her body numb, her eyes tear stained, her throat raw. Something foreign seemed to be crawling within her skin. Like bugs or maybe poison. But the pain was dimmed now. Her left breast throbbed with bloody carvings but those might as well have been pinpricks.

Two neon blue eyes stared down at her.

"Is it... done?" She asked. How was he still here? If he was sealed within her then why...?

"It is. All that is left is one final touch." Naruto said as he put an arm gently behind her neck, and the other beneath her knees to lift her.

Sakura could only lie in his arms as he pulled her close. Shock filled her as she stared at him. Wisps of chakra were leeching from his body and into hers. Whole segments of him seemed to flicker... as if the body was only just barely stable. Just a touch away from collapsing into dust.

But his hands were warm.

"Am I dying...?" She asked softly.

"Yes." The Kyuubi replied. "But you won't. Good luck Sakura. I will see you when you next wake, in the world of yesterday."

Sakura nodded. Then she flew.

Her stomach fluttered as she fell, flying over the edge of the world and down, down into the abyss, vertigo overtaking her every pore.

Despite her fear, she fell head on her eyes filled only with darkness and the sensation of falling. Her limbs seemed revitalized. The poison in her veins turned to water. Clear, smooth, and free. And her excitement began to blossom.

* * *

><p>Naruto stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down. His soul, his chakra, followed the girl as she fell down off the edge of the world.<p>

A presence materialized behind him.

_"Kyuubi...!" _The voice seethed, pure hatred echoing from the newcomer in waves as human chakra engulfed the summit.

Naruto turned and faced the man with a laughing eyebrow. "Madara Uchiha." He laughed then. "You are too late."

Madara seethed in a manner that didn't fit his normally calm exterior. He threw a single Kunai. Naruto made no move to dodge. As it impacted, Naruto exploded into a cloud of dust and Chakra.

Madara was left alone on the mountaintop.

Hundreds of miles away the villagers of a town nearest the edge of the world could've sworn they heard the desperate screams of a man with no hope.

* * *

><p><em>"This spot marks where Sakura Haruno left this world and entered the next. Perhaps there, she will be useful." <em>

Sasuke Uchiha looked up from the report to the ANBU nin kneeling below him. "You are certain of this?" He asked, his face showing not the slightest hint of emotion.

"Positive, Hokage-sama." The ANBU replied, adjusting his wolf facemask as he did so.

Sasuke nodded. "Leave me."

The ANBU disappeared.

No one was there to see the greatest Hokage shed a tear, red eyes of the mangekyo spinning all the while.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

This fic was heavily inspired by Ozz's new fic "Reap the Whirlwind." An epic fic if ever there was one I assure you.

Also, at least a small nod goes to the fic "Shattered Eyes." I can't remember the author but it was a damn good one. Wish me luck with this one. I've got a decently fun plot planned out with plenty o' originality! Cheers!

If you feel it's worth continuing leave a review! They aren't necessary but they always help with the inspiration.

**Till Next!**  
><strong>MB<strong>


	2. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: **Shit not mine.

**Chapter One**

* * *

><p>It was a long time before Sakura Haruno opened her eyes. She could tell by the thick layer of sleep that had to be rung from her crusted eyelids. The stiffness in her tired bones and the feel of poison still running through her body were also indicative of her long slumber.<p>

The ground beneath her felt hard. Solid, and uninviting. That was strange. Naruto had usually allowed her the comfort of a futon ever since he'd kidnapped...?

Some of the memories from the day before slowly crept back in. Kyuubi. The fucking Kyuubi no Kitsune, and lil' Sakura Haruno was now the Jinchuriki for it. Or was she...? Had it all been a dream?

She finally turned her mind away from thoughts and to the outside world.

She blinked. For some reason she'd thought that travelling through time would place her right back in the shoes of her younger self. Looking down at her body, she realized that it had. Figuratively.

In the more literal sense, Sakura wasn't anywhere _near_her past self's shoes. The pink haired nin lay butt naked on the edge of the world in far northern earth country. Upon her significantly smaller left breast lay the greens blues and reds of the Kyuubi's seal. Intricate patterns that quite frankly gave her the coolest fucking tattoo this side of the edge of the world.

That said, she was now going to have to make her painstakingly slow body travel all the way back to Fire Country. She frowned. "Well this _sucks." _

Thinking hard she focused all her energy in contacting the Kyuubi. _Hey! Naruto... er... Kyuubi? Are you there?_

No response was forthcoming.

After several attempts she decided that he simply was incapable of speaking to her. Even though he couldn't, she could tell he was there. Her veins seemed flooded with some form of putrescence. During her days as a chunin, she'd been poisoned once or twice, but this wasn't like that. It felt sickening but at the same time... pleasant?

It was the feeling of having a teammate you weren't too familiar with watching your back. Comforting but at the same time, worthy of wariness. It was the sour taste of an apple that was not yet ripe. The music your friends love and you can't stand.

_Did Naruto feel like this all the time?_She thought wonderingly. Probably, she decided. But if he'd housed the Kyuubi since he'd been a child it was unlikely that he'd ever known the difference.

She sighed.

Well this was an irritating situation. No food and at least twelve miles from the nearest village. People weren't fond of living close to the edges. Any of them. That, and she didn't even _really_know if she was actually in the past.

Her body was definitely...! Surprise took her. And her eyes widened.

_God damn I was a tiny little thing!_She hissed at herself as she overlooked.

The weakness from before had faded. She stood with no trouble and walked around as if she'd just had a great night's sleep.

"Well!" She said wonderingly. "No time like the present!"

With that, the pink haired girl gave the edge of the world a salute, taking one final glance at the picturesque thunderstorms and the cliffside that stretched down into darkness arrayed out before her.

Then she turned and began walking down the mountain.

In the manner of ninja, everything and anything could be considered a form of training. Sakura Haruno was one of the best, and therefore she took that to an extreme.

How feeble was this younger body? Very, unless she missed her guess. But luckily, she realized quite quickly that not all had been lost.

Her feet were accustomed to this body. She didn't step with the long gait of a seasoned jounin. Instead her footsteps were the inexperienced toddle's of a genin. She didn't find herself tripping every time she took a step, or overestimating her reach with each punch. Her body was her body, as familiar as her jounin body was now foreign.

Her thoughts turned back to her memories. Feats of physical prowess she had committed in her old world were now viewed with utter and complete awe. Only the knowledge that she had truly been capable of such power kept her from believing her memories weren't just figments of her imagination.

She was a thirteen year old girl who'd been gifted with the memories of a much older self; _not_ a seasoned jounin who had been placed in a younger body. And that counted for quite a bit. A young body with a mind that suited it, could be trained, rather than _retrained. _Training something one didn't know was a thousand times easier than forgetting something one had learned _wrong._As her body was so small now, everything her older-self had been capable of would've been wrong. Lucky indeed.

She sat on a tuft of grass, wishing vainly for a pair of clothes. Her breath had run away from her and now she sat trying desperately to catch it. As she did so she fondly reminisced of a time mere days ago when she could have run as far as she just had without breaking a sweat. Four miles. All her tiny body had been able to manage was four fucking miles before near complete and total exhaustion had begun to overtake her.

God damn. She knew she'd been weak as a genin but _god_ _damn._

True, she'd been running on trees and over open water but _still! Four miles?_Meeeeh...

Even so, one takes what one can get, and the fact that she could finally use her Chakra again after two months under Naruto's kidnapping _did _feel wonderful. Meager as it was...

She sighed, idly wishing she could find out if her bloodline was still active. Her money was on 'no'. Ever since she'd gained her own bloodline she'd made an effort to study them as a whole. Her efforts had proven fruitful. Her private belief was that a bloodline would not appear until a ninja had chakra levels strong enough to sustain it. Her own bloodline hadn't appeared until she'd turned fifteen... A rather depressing thought.

Still, feeling the Kyuubi's poison-sugar chakra knitting her aching muscles back together gave her confidence that her own limit would appear much sooner than last time. Being a Jinchuuriki had to count for something, right? Naruto had been a chakra powerhouse during those short few months they'd been teammates. All those fucking _shadow clones..._Unless she missed her guess her own Chakra would start to be enhanced by Kyuubi's.

In fact, she could almost _feel it. _

She blinked, suddenly excited with the thought of using her own massive army of Shadow clones. Oh what fun she could have! By god! Her entire style had focused on Taijutsu. If she had shadow clones...!

She was nearly giddy with anticipation by the time she realized that her earlier exhaustion had almost completely dissipated. Once she realized _that_her jaw dropped.

"Ten minutes...?" She thought giddily. "Ten minutes and I'm ready for another four miles? Oh Naruto... You would've been a Hokage to shake the foundations of this world."

She was struck with a pang of regret. Remorse for the time she'd wasted. _Wish I could be there now. As it is I'm probably going to have to talk myself out of missing nin status... _

As if the thought had been some sort of trigger, the world shifted. Reality itself stretched and bent around her. The landscape seemed to bulge like a drawing on a balloon. Sakura watched as the scenery seemed to collapse and expand whirling around as if she'd suddenly become utterly drunk. "Wh-what's happ-!"

Reality made one final stretch. And then snapped back into place. A completely different scene greeted her eyes though as the dimensional shifting finished its work on her. Her feet, no longer shifted on dirt and plains, but were instead encased in the chilly touch of slightly wet grass.

"S-Sakura!" Came an ecstatic cry that the pink haired ninja hadn't heard in nearly seven years.

She snapped her face back around to find the blond boy from her memories wearing that same hideous orange jumper. His eyes were wide as saucers and a small trail of blood was peeking out from his right nostril.

"Naruto!" She exclaimed in shock. "What are you...!"

She started, suddenly realizing that she was nowhere near the edge of the world anymore. Not even in Earth Country. Instead she was in... in...?

A forest? No. A woods.

_Wait... something is wrong here. _The pinkette thought wonderingly trying to figure out why spiders felt like they were crawling around her skin.

Then she realized... not spiders. _Eyes._

"Uhm... Naruto. Could you turn around please?" She asked sweetly, trying lightly to quell the rage that burbled within her as a reflex from the youthful Sakura. When Naruto failed to turn around, his eyes still lingering, Sakura allowed a tick to begin throbbing on her brow as anger entered her tone. This _really_wasn't how she'd wanted to meet him.

_"Na-ru-to!"_She enunciated hatefully.

"Gaaah!" The boy screamed and turned quickly. "I'm sorry Sakura-chaan! I didn't mean...! I uh..."

"Just shut up and get me some clothes baka!" She said, folding her hands over her breasts in embarrassment. "I've had a bad couple of days..."

"Uh, Right!" He scrambled, banging his thigh into a short bush in his rush to get to his pack some ten feet away. Where were they? This woods seemed strangely familiar...

_Now what in the hell just happened?_ She thought worriedly. _One second I was in the middle of nowhere and the next Naruto's staring down my...!_

Her chest. The seal! Oh holy fuck...

Well, cat was probably out of the bag now. No use complaining. All she could do was hope that Naruto had been too preoccupied with her chest to notice.

_Didn't even take fifteen minutes. Dammit Kyuubi..._

She took a moment to get her bearings straight. It was late afternoon, and nearly sunset. The ever-shifting way the sun moved near the edge of the world had obscured the actual time of day from her before. The light was dim. Almost dim enough to have cast a shadow over her frame. Maybe he hadn't spotted the seal… maybe.

They were in a thicket of trees with relatively clear amounts of underbrush. Sakura turned to look at Naruto as he frantically searched through his pack. She giggled as he pulled out a white shirt, sniffed it, and then immediately discarded it with a gagging noise. He pulled out another one and did the same. This one he gave a short nod to and proceeded to withdraw a pair of blue sweatpants that surprisingly looked as if they might've never been worn.

She scanned the trees and near where Naruto had been standing before, and she found what she'd been hoping for. A series of scratchmarks climbing right up the side of a particularly tall oak. Those scratchmarks created an unerring sense of nostalgia. The scent of this place. The beauty of greenery mixed with the scent of human decay and starvation...

Wave Country.

Kyuubi had said that the edge would take her back to a time when her chakra coils were small enough to accommodate him. It nagged at her that her chakra had been _this_small as a genin, but what was she going to do? Complain? Pah.

Unless she missed her guess, the tree-climbing exercises during their mission to wave was Sakura's first true expanse in her chakra levels. So she'd probably been taken to a time just before that.

_That explains my age. Now how the hell did I _get_ here?_She thought. It seemed she had somehow teleported directly to Naruto.

"H-here you go Sakura-chan! I'm sorry about... er... I didn't mean to...!" The boy approached walking with his eyes shut tight and clothes held as far away from his person as possible as if they were angry vipers about to snap out and bite him.

"Thanks Naruto." She said warmly, accepting the clothes, and knowing she was already acting out of character. She quelled the initial need to punch him again and put the clothes on quickly. They actually fit irritatingly well. Naruto was a skinny kid without that jumper on. Cute little dweeb. But later... who could say how far he might go?

Hokage? Well within his reach.

"S-Sakura-chan?" He asked warily. "Uhm... I... was just wondering where you've been for these past three days? We were really worried about you." He asked warily. "Even Sasuke-teme! Though he'd never admit it."

Another unexpected emotion cropped up in Sakura that she quelled with unbelievable fervor. Her older memories showed her just how wrong that road would take her. No. No swooning over Sasuke for her!

"And how did you just, appear out of nowhere like that!" Naruto asked suddenly excited. "Can you show me? God it would be so _cool _to be able to do that!"

Sakura blanched. "Uhh... I really don't know. I was... I just decided to come back but got in a bit of a hard situation on the way. I'm not sure." She flushed a little, embarrassed by the eagerness of the boy's request. How had she forgotten that smile? How had she forgotten that unbearably irritating grin? Or the incessant yammering for training? Heh heh.

Through her aged eyes he looked so silly. But the younger part of her disagreed.

_This idiot is the reason we don't have Sasuke-kun yet! Shannaro!_

Sakura's eye twitched. Was _that_irritating figment still hovering around in her mind? Oh right. It didn't really shut up until her bloodline activated. Pah.

"Oh... well that's okay. Kakashi sensei and Sasuke teme will be happy that you're back! And... uhm... I'm happy too. We really were worried Sakura-chan."

Sakura bowed her head in apology. "Sorry to have worried you guys. Uhm... where... where are we exactly? And where is Sasuke-kun!" She gushed, in an effort to comply with her role as the boring, talentless, sasuke-whore she'd been in her younger days.

"In the forest near Tazuna's house!" Naruto exclaimed. Everything was an exclamation with Naruto. "Come on, we gotta go tell the others that your okay! I'll introduce you to Tsunami!"

Sakura sighed, but nodded. Time to face the music.

* * *

><p>Sasuke raised an eyebrow. From her years as his teammate and their subsequent relationship and split, Sakura could tell that this particular expression was as close screaming "What the Fuck!" as Sasuke might ever get.<p>

Kakashi was far less readable.

His eyes curled up into silly grins and he made all the motions of an accepting team leader... but something was just slightly amiss.

"As punishment," Kakashi intoned from behind the cover of his precious book, "Naruto and Sasuke will both fight against you. Be relentless boys. Teammates do not leave without telling each other where they're going. Especially not on a mission so serious as this."

Sakura bowed her head. "I'm sorry sensei..." She intoned grimly. The emotion wasn't fake either. She'd disappeared mere moments after the battle with Zabuza it seemed. Any good shinobi should feel utter guilt for leaving teammates behind, no matter who they were, and no matter why. A lesson Kakashi had instilled within her well. "I swear, it won't happen again."

"Where did you go?" The leader asked, putting his book down and gazing at her with eyes that were harder than she'd ever remembered.

"I-I... was afraid. I was so useless in the battle with Zabuza... I thought. I thought maybe I should just quit. But I'm over that now. I'm going to become stronger..." She grimaced at this next part. "...for Sasuke-kun!"

Kakashi seemed to accept that with short nod. Even so, she knew he was suspicious. No team lead wouldn't be. She'd have to be cautious. Random character quirks rarely meant that a person was changing. No. To a seasoned ninja, character change usually meant they'd been infiltrated.

And they damn hell never meant that a time traveler had stepped back a few years into her own shoes.

Sasuke's eyebrow was _still_ raised. Was the image of her in Naruto's sweatpants and tanktop really _that_unusual? Apparently so. She faced the two boys with trepidation. Sure she had the years of experiences from an elder jounin version of herself, but she didn't have that woman's muscle memory. She didn't have that woman's bloodline. She didn't have her speed, strength, chakra levels, and felt she didn't have an ounce of her charisma.

In short, this was going to hurt.

"Begin." Kakashi intoned.

Sasuke disappeared like lightning. Her older mind wanted to follow but her younger eyes had no experience in keeping up with him. Sasuke and even Naruto were both her superiors in every way.

Dammit.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan." Naruto said, his eyes shining with the apology. "But you can't worry us like that again! Kage Bunshin!" He exclaimed, his fingers moving toward the obligatory hand symbol with ease.

Instinct alone saved Sakura from a sudden barrage of shuriken from above, while Naruto's army of a mere seven clones circled her. She skipped backwards, listening to the thuds of the throwing stars slamming into the soft ground below.

One of the clones came in with a swift punch and she ducked under the wild swing, smacking the clone in the face with an uppercut that burst the construct into oblivion. Three more approached, but she was unworried about them.

Sasuke's fireball blaring down from atop her was far more intimidating.

She scrambled to get away and just barely escaped as the burning fireball consumed the three Naruto clones, as well as a good sized patch of land, behind her.

"What the hell, teme!" The pink-haired genin hissed hatefully, and blinked when she realized she'd spoken in tandem with her blonde teammate.

"I just about had her!" Naruto whined obnoxiously, and Sakura sighed with relief. Back then, er... _now_, Sakura wouldn't've dared called Sasuke a bastard. Then, she grinned. Maybe if she could play the two off against each other, she could win without even a bit of her advanced jounin skills.

That this body _didn't have_...

She silently made the seal for Kawarimi along with an impressive bunshin for a genin just as more shuriken were about to find homes in her body.

She saw Naruto's eyes widen in horror from her position hidden well in the trees as her genjutsu-crafted bunshin became a human pincushion with a scream and a spray of blood.

_The same technique Kakashi had used against the demon brothers on the road to wave._Sakura recalled vaguely, knowing that she had a reasonable way to explain the use of the technique.

The fake Sakura popped, revealing Sasuke's equipment bag. She didn't know where the Uchiha was hiding, but she gave a small private grin at the thought of his face knowing that he had destroyed his own stuff. Ha, ha. Sucker!

During Naruto's moment of surprise, Sakura ghosted in for an attack as best as her genin body was capable. Which was pathetic. The second she slipped from her tree cover she was spotted by _all_of Naruto's remaining three clones.

Her feet scuffed on the sand as she sent a punch towards one of the smiling blondes but the boy dodged it like a fly, falling onto his back hands his foot lashing out with a hammer of a kick.

Sakura wished she could dodge, already knowing the attempt would fail, but she leaped to try anyway.

Her chakra, weak as it was, did not support the jump she was trying to make, and so she ended up three feet in the air instead of twelve when Naruto's foot slammed straight into her thigh, flipping her in mid air.

She landed painfully on her side her face smacking hard against the dirt. The only saving grace was that her fall had been broken by the clone who poofed out of existence as soon as she landed on him.

"Get her!" Naruto shouted, launching his own Kunai to follow his two remaining clones.

Muscle memory at work, Sakura snatched the thrown-weapon from the air and hissed as the blade cut into her hand. _Stupid weak body! _Ignoring the throbbing wound in her hand, she flung the kunai and her own array of shuriken towards where Sasuke was still hiding in the trees.

Then as quick as she could manage, she dashed for her own cover, away from the clearing where Naruto and his endless supply of clones were king. As she ran, she lobbed two more shuriken and saw the two clones surprised eyes widen just before they popped as well.

"Damnit! Teme are you going to help or what?" Naruto yelled, his eyes scanning the trees to find his hidden teammate.

Sakura grinned, despite her throbbing hand, and the minor concussion she suffered from Naruto's painful kick earlier. She performed a henge.

"If you weren't such a dobe, you might be able to beat her without help." She voiced, her henge giving her Sasuke's lower vocal chords.

Naruto growled. He performed his usual hand seal and some thirty clones erupted within the field each spreading out into the woods, most likely in search of Sasuke over Sakura. "Shut the hell up teme!"

"That isn't me, dobe." This from the real Sasuke, caused Sakura to curse. She expected the bastard to stay silent. Hmph. Well maybe she could play it two ways...

"Whose a dobe, Sasuke? How high are you on the trees? Seven feet? I'm already at fifteen!" Sakura bragged just after henging herself into Naruto.

An aura of killer intent that frightened Sakura's youth, but made her scoff with her older memories lit the clearing and surrounding woods. Hah! She'd hit a nerve! Without warning, four of Naruto's clones that were still hovering in the clearing popped out of existence as wires constricted around them. Oh, damn, she _had_hit a nerve. It was working!

Then, clones began popping left and right as Sasuke began attacking Naruto full out. It was possible that he was hoping to find Sakura's henged form, but far more probable that he was just pissed with the blonde shinobi.

Without warning the two materialized in the middle of the court, already engaged in a heated trade-off of taijutsu. Sakura growled. These damn _genin_were too fast for her to see? Well she'd have to change that.

Sasuke threw an uppercut followed by a roundhouse that both missed as the blonde monkeyed his way around them. He threw a feeble punch of his own, but it was enough to force the black-haired genin back, giving the blonde a half a moment to breathe. Naruto's signature jutsu echoed throughout the clearing and Sasuke was suddenly on the defensive as eight more clones surrounded him.

The pink-haired ex-jounin had to admit, the Uchiha had a flair for style. He weaved through Naruto's reckless punches with the expert ease of someone who had been fighting the same person for months. Not skill, well not purely. Just knowledge of how Naruto fought.

Luckily Sasuke wasn't the only one to pick up knowledge on his opponent's fighting style. Naruto held up a hand and suddenly all of his clones disengaged. Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise as Naruto gave him a thumbs up, then jumped back.

The raven-haired nin's eyes only widened further as he realized that Naruto had lead him into a trap. Two clones had been sawing away at a tree, with... by god was that a third clone _henged_into a jigsaw? Now the burly tree tumbled right for where the Uchiha stood.

Sakura let out a giggle at the comical expression on Sasuke's face as he just barely managed to escape the largest of the trees falling branches, diving to get out of the trap's range. The humor was compounded by the all of the clone's shouting "Timber!" Oh Naruto. Some of the silliest ways to attack, but it was amazing how they worked. Her mind took her back to the Zabuza fight, in which his clone had henged into a boomerang.

Good times. It was hard to remember that she was right back in them.

Sasuke's clothes were torn, his epically cool demeanor shattered with rage burning in his eyes. He stood, tearing the twigs of the fallen tree that enclosed him off as his eyes snapped on the laughing blonde.

At that moment, Sakura caught the ghost of an eye watching her and she knew Kakashi had witnessed the whole thing. The man was clearly still tired from his injury but he _was_watching the fight with profound interest... for him anyway.

He was suspicious of her. Well nothing new there. Ninja _don't_disappear for three days. It just isn't done unless there is no other choice. Then again Sakura had never been the most stalwart ninja during her early genin days. He might be able to believe that she needed a few days of soul searching. Even so...

_If I were him, I'd be assuming Sakura was dead and this was an impersonator. _She realized with sudden horror. But her rational mind was already coming up with a solution, and by the time Naruto and Sasuke had engaged in battle again, Sakura was already feeling better. She had a plan. And a fight to win.

_Well, if I want to win this fight now is the time. While both of them are distracted... hell I didn't even get hurt too much!_

She jumped to a nearby tree to get closer to the two genin below her, and retracted her thought. She _did_have a light concussion. Pah. She could deal. Both of them were going down.

The two boy's battle was heating up now. One on one; Naruto's clones had all been dispelled. Sasuke was angry, but Naruto wasn't any less so. The fight of rivals. Of silly boys who couldn't get enough of the spotlight.

She leaped over the fighting pair, both too engaged in their match to notice her. Knowing which of the two targets was the more dangerous, she went for Sasuke first.

A surprise haymaker smashed the raven haired boy in the face and sent him flying into a nearby tree, knocked out cold and disengaging him from his heated battle with Naruto.

The blonde blinked in utter surprise. "S-Sakura? He asked, his fist suddenly missing their target. Confusion crossed his face and it cost him.

Sakura leaped, flipping in the air in a text book flying roundhouse to smash directly into the boy's boulder of a stomach. He doubled over as she landed beside him, but she gave him no chance to recover. Her elbow smashed him in the back of the head, slamming him face first into the ground.

_Unconscious. And Sakura Haruno is the winner! Chacha! _Her inner Sakura did a victory dance in her head and she let it blow hot air around. The figment of her imagination was rapidly losing cohesion anyway. Might as well let it live while it could.

A slow clap echoed across the clearing as Kakashi strolled into view. His nose was miraculously _not_ inside his _Icha-Icha Volume 7_and instead was trained straight on her. His single eye was curled into a smiling upside-down U. "Congratulations my cutest genin! You did fairly well, though trickery is not usually advised in a friendly spar."

Sakura cringed. _Oh yeah. He's definitely suspicious. No worries though. I've got this..._

"_Friendly spar_ my ass-! Er... I mean, uhm... Kakashi sensei. That wasn't really a fair fight. How else was I supposed to win?" Sakura asked, using her most convincing, _"I'm a weak lil' genin, Help Me!"_voice.

That way Kakashi had of grinning with his eye became even more apparent. "One of them is _finally _getting it." He said more to himself than to her. "Sakura, you have no idea how far your teamwork will rise after today." Then he turned to the still unconscious Sasuke lying slumped at the bottom of a tree, his hair hiding what was surely a beast of a swelled cheek. "Quite the hit. One might almost think you have a bit of anger for him. I am surprised."

Sakura merely shrugged and smiled. "I am a little angry I guess. At both of them. Fighting with the Demon Brothers and then Zabuza... I felt so left behind." A true statement if ever there was one. "Best in theory... It doesn't count for much in the real world, does it sensei?"

"Not a drop." The man said with a grin. "But... well. Maybe a little bit. Good henge. Even I was almost fooled."

"Really!" Sakura asked, the excitement of the compliment filling both old and young Sakura with pleasure. Kakashi doled them out rarely.

The white haired jounin nodded. "Now let's wake up these two and see if they've learned anything."

"Okay!" Sakura exclaimed. Well, the jounin was still suspicious, she could tell. But luckily, Kakashi _was_a lazy bastard. Even if she was an infiltrator he probably wouldn't engage her mid mission.

_If I were him I'd start asking subtle questions... trying to weasel out village codes that only a genin of Konoha would know. _

"Tell me Sakura, since we're on the subject of theory. Who ended the Solstice Rebellion seventeen years ago? The question has been in my mind lately and I've been having trouble remembering... But you know a lot of things like that."

_Like clockwork. _She thought with a slight chuckle.

"Oh, uhm. Wasn't it the Hyuuga clan lead? Morituri? No it was Morituso..." She fumbled. She knew the answer clear as day, but as a genin, this would seem to be just a polite question. Genin were only trained to look underneath the underneath once. For jounin? _Underneath_was a building with forty stories.

_"That's_right!" Kakashi exclaimed joyously, the laugh of a man who'd remembered some nuance that he'd forgotten. As an actual jounin she would've been hard pressed to note the question as a probe for her identity. But she was looking for it now, and she was ready.

"You see the main character of this story is a stoic bastard named Moritumo, who keeps getting into the most interesting situations with women...! This one time he winds up with two girls in the middle of the southern Jungle in Tea Country and...!"

"KAKASHI SENSEI!" She yelled hatefully. She didn't even have to act for that one. Kakashi and his books. Even as she walked away in a huff she hid a smile. Volume 7 _had_been a pretty good one.

* * *

><p>"Sakura-chan that was <em>awesome!<em>" Naruto gushed for what seemed like the hundredth time. "I mean, you played us against each other like, "Sasuke I climbed the tree higher than you" and "Too bad you can't beat her alone, dobe" and then you...!

"She gets it, dumbass." This came from Sasuke, who was still sporting a swelled cheek and an even more bruised pride. An icepack was gingerly held to the side of his face but he somehow managed to play it off as if the icepack were merely an article of clothing, and not an emblem claiming "I got beat!" to the world.

He did have the grace to congratulate her though. In his own way. A 'hnn' that ended with a nod. She knew it well. Smug, teme.

"Next time, just try not to get so distracted. You two are at each other's throats with the slightest provocation! Its... its unprofessional!" She said, vainly trying to get the boys to see the reason in her words. They held much wisdom, and surprisingly neither boy seemed to take them lightly.

"Now Sakura, since one of the boys already told you," Kakashi interrupted lightly. "I've been having them work on tree climbing."

Sakura grinned. "Yeah, Naruto told me." He had told her several times in fact. "But I... I think..."

She took a step, placing her foot flush against the side of the tree nearest her and walked straight up without the slightest hint of difficulty. It was even easier than she remembered it being the first time, and even then it had been simple. "Hey, this is cakewalk!" She shouted joyously. She pretended not to notice both of the boys glaring subtle daggers at her.

And so time passed.

* * *

><p>The days seemed to fly by for Sakura. She barely remembered times like this. Joyful times training with friends. Sure her two friends were boys who were at each other's throats more than they cared to smile but hey, they were kids.<p>

Despite the animosity between Naruto and Sasuke, Sakura had never had so much fun. The past few days, flirting with Sasuke to keep up appearances and answering Kakashi's odd questions in a suitable geninly manner brought her happiness like that which she could barely remember.

Her family. It was like she had it all back. And she didn't know if she could ever let it go.

She was certain that Kakashi and Sasuke both had noted her oddities. She wasn't half so clingy with Sasuke as she remembered being. She interacted with Naruto on a far friendlier basis than she had before. Laughing and joking with him about all the nonsensical ideas he had.

"When I'm Hokage, I'll make sure there is no such thing as orphans!" He had once proudly claimed.

To the widening of both Sasuke and Kakashi's eyebrows, Sakura couldn't help her response. "That will be a wonderful thing to see, Naruto."

His widened eyes when he realized someone agreed with him had been the highlight of Sakura's whole day. Of course then he'd ruined it with a proclamation demanding all Konoha restaurants serve at least one type of ramen.

But talking and flirting wasn't the extent of her time spent with her old team. Training was the larger part by _far._

Ever since she'd beaten the two of them, they had both had the opportunity to redeem themselves and sparred against her together. As Kakashi had claimed, their teamwork had skyrocketed. Sakura's ass had been cleanly handed to her without even a half a spec of effort, and any attempt to turn either boy against each other was met with a ruthless sense of "I don't care what you say dobe/teme. Kill Sakura."

It was _fricking awesome._

When Naruto and Sasuke worked together… _truly_ worked together? Sakura was unsure if she could've stood against the two as a jounin. Her bloodline was something else but Sasuke's precision with Naruto's unpredictability might've been enough to overcome even the strongest of foes.

Even Kakashi had been impressed with the two's sudden and unrelenting increase in ability when they both had the same goal.

But she _was _catching up. If Sakura had to guess the Kyuubi within her was expanding and increasing the capacity of her coils by the day. It had probably doubled or even tripled within the first two days of tree climbing alone.

Her punches had gone from things to be wary of for the two boys, to "Danger: Avoid at all costs!" Her long years spent learning taijutsu had given her everything she needed to bring herself to greatness once again. And she felt herself come closer by the day.

The hindrance to _that_? Kakashi of course. She had only slipped up with her futuristic knowledge in any noticeable way once. A spar between herself and Sasuke had led them particularly close to a nearby pond.

"Kick his ass, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called from the sidelines.

"No problem!" She returned not taking her eyes of the black haired genin and giving him a malicious grin.

"Che." Sasuke replied, a sort of wary grin on his face. After that first spar he had learned to his peril that Sakura was no longer willing to pull punches on him. He discovered that the girl had _strength _behind those fists. And once he'd discovered that, _he_ demanded that she give her all.

He was an avenger, and no opponent was going to baby him. He had someone to kill, and if Sakura had an ounce of use to give him in training, then he would take it.

She _gave_her all.

She spun forward with a round house kick, that Sasuke narrowly bounded over. Spinning in midair, he sent his own foot careening towards her face. Her hand caught the limb in a war of chakra control and strength. She grinned as he began to fall, but her grin fled as his other foot snaked in around his first, catching her hard in the chin.

She sprawled backward, but recovered in a backflip, her face now indented with the design of the sole of the Uchiha's shoe.

She ignored Naruto's giggling from the sidelines.

"You can do better, Sakura." Sasuke intoned. "I've seen it."

The girl blinked. Inner Sakura giving a rather joyous leap at the black haired ninja's words. She was surprised that a little bit of pride from that compliment came from herself as well as her younger form.

Well. Perhaps she still cared a bit for the Uchiha after all. Cheating bastard that he was… Then again, maybe he would be a better person this time around.

_Maybe he'll be worse._

They flew together again. Fists smashing one into the other, feet colliding, and kunai being deflected left and right. Her control met his finesse in a dazzling display of genin impotence.

She caught a lucky punch, bashing his face in, but too late did she notice the Uchiha's plan. He'd taken the punch on purpose, in order to open her defenses.

_God I suck so hard..._Sakura thought as she dodged a sharp uppercut, already knowing that Sasuke's other strike was coming too fast for her to even block. The sidekick flowed out from his leg like liquid taking her in the stomach and once again sending her flying. This time nearly four feet over open water.

She tried to catch her footing, but her control flaked out on her. For just a moment, she stood on the water, coin balanced precariously on its edge.

Then a fireball seared her body to a crisp. She screamed as she fell in.

"Rematch!" She bellowed as she parted the water's surface, her tiny frame freezing in the water's early spring cold. She _wished_she could use what little chakra she had left to warm herself, but at least the burns were already healing. God damn Kyuubi had a sweetass healing ability.

As she pulled herself up the rocky shore Naruto was there in an instant with a blanked wrapped around her frame.

"Oh... thanks Naruto." She said graciously, and then menacingly turned her eyes back to the Uchiha. _"Reeematch!" _She squealed girlishly. Good ole' Naruto. Why had she hated him so much? Hell, with how cold she felt she might _love _the boy already!

_EEEWWWW! _Inner Sakura bellowed with all of its remaining strength.

The Uchiha stood there smirking at her. "Alright. Sparring you beats fighting the dobe any day."

And thus the two boys began to fight again while Sakura rested and watched on the sidelines. It was really kinda of cathartic.

Neither of the boys had noticed, but she caught Kakashi warily eyeing her for all the next day. Only then did she realize that she'd nearly walked on water. Had to watch that...

Inari was his usual crybaby self; this time around Sakura felt much less sympathy for the whimpers of the stupid boy. She didn't have to worry about that much though. Naruto would straighten him out, one way or another.

Tsunami was... well... a housewife. A housewife without a husband. It was almost piteous to see her. So... so dull. Sakura could never imagine such a life. So peaceful. Watching the woman cleaning dishes after each meal almost hurt her after all she'd been through. Where was the excitement? The rush?

Then again... she had a family. A real family. Something Sakura could never have. Barren. And Tsunade the great, again failed to help Sakura Haruno. Yet another reason to hate medic nins.

Tazuna...?

"-_abandoned _me! Still don't understand how the little pinkette could just _abandon _me for three days! Ninja, pah! I don't care how impressive their skills are they're all jus' kids to me!" Tazuna's loud voice carried in from the kitchen ringing throughout the house at some ungodly hour of the morning.

Sakura's eyes were still filled with sleep, and no small amount of irritation at the old geezer. How many more times could she apologize? It's not like she'd had control over where she'd appeared! The damn old bastard just wouldn't shut up!

"I'm going to find Sasuke-kun." She said as she stood, leaving a half eaten plate of bacon and eggs. Inari took them without complaint as she left the house.

_Now where are those two?_She thought curiously. The morning was sunlit and filled with dew and moisture and wetness and all things that made Wave Country a year round spring nation. Sakura wandered around for a while, hunting through the various places where she might find her two teammates.

After an hour she began to grow irritated. _Dammit! How far into these woods did you two go?_ _Wish I could find Narut-Hey!_

As happened before, reality again began to shift. The landscape expanded and contracted like a spring. But this time it happened quicker. The world gave a final stretch imitating a cat before pouncing, tail coiled.

Then everything snapped back into place to a different scene. A very similar scene. But different. A forest clearing lay before her with several trees, each peppered with the scratchmarks of a genin training to climb them.

Naruto himself lay in the middle of the clearing, flat on his black and ignorant of the world around him. Fool. An enemy nin could-!

"Hello." Came the soft voice of a girl behind her.

Sakura didn't let the girl know she'd been startled but turned around anyway. She locked eyes, and knew instantly who this was. A blue haired ninja who'd fought her two teammates while she was a coward...

A very long time ago.

Haku noticed the tense. The wariness, and the way Sakura looked at her as if she were a predator.

"Is... something wrong?" The girl- Sakura blinked- _boy_asked. She had never truly interacted with the blue haired assistant to Zabuza. Hell the mission to wave had been a colossal sign pointing to just how useless she was at the time. If her memory served her well, she'd passed out from the release of some godly killer intent that felt vaguely like Naruto's.

Now she knew...

Kyuubi.

It was amazing how many things clicked when she thought of Naruto housing the Kyuubi. Hated by the village? There was a good reason. Dead last? Untrained by the prejudiced teachers. Lived alone? Who would care for the Kyuubi? His fight against Orochimaru in the forest of death? His endless shadow clones? His occasionally red chakra?

It all made so much more sense now...

Well. Sakura wasn't going to shun him this time. Or ever.

"No... Sorry. You just startled me a bit." She said in an effort to placate the imploring eyes of Haku. "What are you doing here, if I might ask? This place is rather... remote."

The boy posing as a girl grinned slightly. "There is a certain type of herb in this region that is good for healing. I hoped to find some when I stumbled across..." She gave a nod in the direction of the sleeping boy.

Inwardly, Sakura cursed. Dammit Naruto. This probably happened last time. How easy would it have been for Haku to kill him? Pah...

Well she was here now.

"He is rather cute, don't you think?" The girl asked suddenly, completely derailing Sakura's train of thought.

"Wh-wha...? The baka? No wa... well... er..." Younger Sakura's habits had flown in place of her normal self's tongue and it took a moment to get that particular habit under control. Naruto _was_cute. Even her younger self should've been able to admit that; if only her head hadn't been shoved so far up Sasuke's-!

The boy giggled, and Sakura was having doubts about her own information gathering. All her jounin senses told her this was a boy, but dammit he was one good actor. "You've never thought about him? Prefer the darkhaired one?"

"I... hey! How do you know about him?" Sakura asked warily as she let her hand hover over her kunai pouch. Two could play coy, but she was pretty sure both knew the other's identity.

"Come now. Lets not fight here... Today is... too good of a day." The blue haired boy said, gazing at the sky in wonderment.

Sakura followed his gaze. Indeed it was. But few fighters she knew would ever care, let alone postpone an inevitable fight for a beautiful sunrise. Even so... "Alright."

They stood in silence for a time before Haku returned to the ground and began gathering more of the plants into a cutesy wicker basket. What a screwed up kid.

"What is your name?" The green-eyed genin asked.

"Haku. And yours?"

"Sakura." She replied easily. Then, more worriedly, she cut to the heart of the matter. "Why... why didn't you kill him? He's your enemy right?"

Haku's eyes turned downtrodden at that. "I don't kill. It is my way... I fight to protect my precious person. But I have never had to kill."

Sakura blinked at that. No wonder Naruto had lived. Assuming he'd ever spoken with this strange boy in a past life... they were so similar.

"I... Thank you." She said oddly. Never had to kill? She remembered thinking Sasuke was dead for a day or two after the bridge battle back then. But he hadn't been. He'd lived. She could believe, she supposed.

"He's alot like you, you know." The pinkette told the boy fondly with a nod towards Naruto. "Always goes on about his precious people. Protecting. His dream is to become the greatest ninja that ever lived."

Haku's eyes shone at the change of topic. "Is it? And what is your dream, Cherry Blossom?"

_My dream?_

"I... I don't know." She replied sadly, her thoughts trying to find some meaning. Why had she come back in time anyway? Pity for the Kyuubi. But had her life _really_turned out so bad that she'd needed to change it all?

...Yes. Yes it had.

"I just... don't want to be alone." Sakura confessed. Then she blinked. What was it about this boy that had her opening up so easily? It must be the effeminate manner.

Haku mearly gave her a smile. "A worthy dream. A worthy dream indeed."

With that, the boy stood up, and walked out of the clearing, his basket filled with herbs to heal her enemy.

Unless...

An idea crossed Sakura's mind.

Oh yes. She was going to assassinate Gatou.

She went over to wake up the blonde.

* * *

><p>"Idiot!" Sakura raged at the blonde-haired shinobi. "You <em>don't<em>...! fall_ asleep_...! in open _clearings_...! on _enemy._..! territory! What if you'd been assassinated! You could've _died! _You... _stupid...!_" Each word was punctuated with a haymaker the likes of which Naruto had never seen from his female teammate. Each could've dropped him right back into unconsciousness and with each punch the girl seemed to get even _more_distraught.

"S-Sakura...chan?" Naruto asked, genuinely shocked at the tears in the pink haired girl's eyes as she screamed at him, her words stinging more than her punches, and her swings leaving indentions in trees and kawarimi logs.

"You could've _died!" _She repeated. "And then where would I be...? Alone with pervert-sensei and Mr. Feelingless? You can't do that..."

"Sakura...?" Naruto just didn't understand. The girl had spent so much time claiming to hate him. Where was this sudden worry coming from?

"You can't leave again. Promise me Naruto! You'll never leave! Not me... not Konoha! _Okay!" _The girl asked finally coming to a stop to stand, breathing heavily as she stared the blonde down.

"Sakura I'd never leave Kono-!"

"_Promise Me!" _She bellowed, over echoing his denials with a ferocity that Naruto had nothing to compare to.

_What does she mean... leave again? I've never even left the city until this mission. _Naruto thought, warily. Even so, he saw worry in her eyes. And it touched him.

"I promise, Sakura-chan. I'll never leave Konoha... except for missions and stuff, you know." He said.

Sakura gave him one more hard menacing glare. Then she nodded. "Good."

She turned around and strolled to the edge of the clearing. Before she left him, she turned to give him one more parting word.

"Naruto? I just wanted you to know… I acknowledge you. You're… gonna be great someday." She said softly. "Just… wanted you to know."

She left the clearing, unaware of the blonde shinobi's tears.

**Author's Notes:**

While it may appear like I am Sasuke bashing I assure you I am not. Sasuke, believe it or not, is one of my favorite characters. The only reason Sakura appears to dislike him so much is the bias she has against the Sasuke from her own world. That bias will fade as time passes. My apologies to those who believe I would ever bash a character based solely on personal dislike.

Okay. Thats all for that.

Nods and thanks aplenty to Ozz for prereading. That said, he's only one man. **Prereaders wanted! **Have gmail? Want early access? Put those reviewing skills to use and help me make my ficcies betta!

Unless ya don't wanna of course. Tryouts will be held at 3 pm and 6 pm respectively. And for those of you who are taking this seriously, I'm sorry; you're clearly not silly enough. Still, I do need a few prereaders. Spokavriel if you ever feel like it, I'd give you access in an instant. Best criticisms ever.

Well! Leave a review if ya want! It'll make me more enthusiastic I pwomise!

**Till Next!  
>MB<strong>


	3. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: **Shit not mine.

**Chapter Two**

* * *

><p>Sakura may have been weak compared to her genin teammates and probably to all genin in general at this point. But she had several things that most genin didn't.<p>

She could kill without fear, or without the self-hatred that comes with one's first kill. As a freshly made genin, she wouldn't be able to do this. Most genin don't like the idea of killing, Sasuke being a rather obvious exception under the right circumstances. Usually though it takes a few years before most fledgling ninja start to realize that some people just need to fucking die.

That, and she also had knowledge of advanced moves that would usually surprise the hell out of any ole' ninja, let alone a newbie. This knowledge made her probably on par with the average genin. Because other than that, she sucked. Her taijutsu was poop. Her ninjutsu counted for as little as 'bunshin' and her genjutsu?

Well... she did know a few pretty good genjutsu that she could use with her weak-ass chakra levels. But they _were_ growing. Only problem with that was that they were growing _waaaay _too fast. She found herself slipping off trees at odd intervals due to sudden excessive power output. Kyuubi fucking her over without even knowing it. She'd always prided herself on perfect chakra control and now it seemed to be slipping through her fingers. This was a pain but as long as she strove for control she'd been mostly able to handle all that she'd been given thus far.

Even so, she knew it was only a matter of time before she started spamming shadow clones alongside Naruto. But for now, she was little more than an average genin. That said, the average genin is a class above and beyond even the strongest of samurai and swordsman, and avoiding their patrols was like avoiding an anthill.

Sakura didn't even trip a wire.

The source of all this trouble was Gatou. He was the problem and only by killing him would one find a solution. What, people thought that building a _bridge _would help? Pah. Gatou would buy rights to travel the bridge and again Wave Country would have another form of tax upon its already overburdened shoulders. The only reason he didn't want the bridge built in the first place was that it was _inconvenient._Not because it would ruin him. Not in the slightest.

So, back to the original thought: Some people just need to die.

Honestly, getting to Gatou was turning out to be a piece of cake next to the unbelievable trouble Sakura had leaving Tazuna's home without Kakashi noticing. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she was abandoning the team again. Or worse, for Tazuna to think so. She'd hear no _end_ to his bitching!

So three A.M. before the battle on the bridge that would've taken place tomorrow, Sakura had begun playing assassin. But failure after failure to find Gatou was making her desperate. She'd begun at three in the morning thinking that would be more than enough time to find and eliminate the tycoon. She'd been wrong. By now Kakashi was probably already awake and wondering where she'd gone. It was doubtful that she would be of any help at all now. Zabuza would be attacking soon... but maybe if she could kill Gatou fast enough and get back to the bridge...

_All this sneaking around is making me itch for a fight._She thought as she moved further into the dense complex of buildings that housed the shipping tyrant. Finding him was somewhat of a trouble. He had several buildings and very few people knew which of them the infamous bastard inhabited. The man was smart; she had to give him that. How could an assassin kill you if no one knew where the fuck you are?

Over the past few days Sakura had been gathering information. Unsurprisingly, she'd found that Gatou had a rather prominent hand in the whoring business. Hungry people could be easily made to do things that they would otherwise never do. A hungry woman for example who happened to be on the side of beautiful would have no choice but to become a courtesan. Worse, she would be force to sell her self for a mere meal and perhaps a ha'penny if she was lucky.

Men, who were also hungry, squandered their money on whores to drown their sorrows. It was a sad, sad system, and made Sakura's business this evening warm her. Tonight there would be death and it was the best kind. The death of scum. Murder or not, the world would be better after this day.

Through her snooping, she'd found that Gatou frequented three or four different places on any given night: two of which were his own personal bordellos while the other two were private suites. Each of them were on nearly opposite corners of the country. Small as Wave was, Sakura had still had trouble checking them all in one night.

She was currently confined within the third of these four places. Her previous scavenges had borne no fruit but she was confident about this one. The man supposedly spent more time here than anywhere else. It was his most guarded suite and also very close to the main port where his shipments of food, equipment, and other goods were imported. The place was a flood of people during the day, filled with those in the nation who still had the means to pay Gatou's outlandish tax rates.

Fools. But less foolish than the men in the bordellos.

This place was big. A giant complex with hundreds of buildings for storing different food products and surrounded by a ten foot square wall all the way around. Gatou's suite, however, was situated smack dab in the middle. Easy prey.

She stalked the courtyard of the place, wary of the moon's effect on her shining pink hair. Slinking up to the backside of the house, where shadows aplenty lay, she searched for an entrance. Surprisingly she found none. Relatively few windows decorated the luxurious home and all were locked tight and barred. Sure she could've broken in, but that would've alerted everyone. Alarm systems were surprisingly good these days and Sakura had a feeling that each and every entrance would be airtight.

But there was always the direct route.

Two sentries guarded the front door. Both appeared to be samurai of some sort with body armor and long scimitars to accent their long black ponytails and wavy clothing. To Sakura they looked ridiculous but she held her tongue, and crept close to settle in for a long wait. One of them would probably have to open the door. Even so, if she failed tonight then events would play out the same way the next day.

She wouldn't let that happen. Sasuke had nearly died and Naruto had released the Kyuubi for the first time. She wouldn't allow her precious people to hurt without necessity. And if she got to do the right thing in the process? So be it.

So she decided. One hour she'd wait for one of them to go inside or for the door to open and then she would sneak in. If that didn't happen, she would incapacitate them both, take their key, and break in.

The only flaw with the plan was the conversation of the two samurai.

"-Right? She was the best lay of 'em all... pity we couldn't keep her around though. Little slut sure did feel good." One of the guard's was bragging to the other.

The other seemed to agree nodding in assent. "Young ones are the best. Hey, 'ave you seen that new girl in town? Pink hair, comes in to buy bandages and apples? I wonder if that hair's natural eh?"

Sakura's eyebrow twitched. A spark of rage unlike anything Sakura had ever known lit within her without warning. These... these... puny bastards wanted her _body?_ She was fucking _thirteen!_

"Oh yea! The whole compound's been in an uproar about her. I wouldn't try though. I hear she's a ninja. She's got a few boys with her that look weak. They aren't. I heard they're the ones that took out Zabuza." The first one commented.

"No shit?" Came the reply. "Still... damn though. Cute little body of hers _belongs_ beneath a man!"

"Does it...?" Sakura noted hatefully, her voice seething with rage as she stepped out from behind her hiding place, discarding her plan in its entirety to satisfy this unnatural rage.

"Wh-what the...?"

"My body... you think it belongs under you?" She hissed, unaware of her gleaming red eyes and the three whisker marks that materialized on her each cheek as she approached them step by step. "I don't think you're strong enough to hold it."

One of the guards took a step back in shock, fearful of the way she'd melded in from the shadows. The other was braver. And far more stupid. "Well look here, it's the pinkette herself! She doesn't seem to have her boys with her though, Tyris. What say we give her a go? Gatou's door can go suck it for a while...

"Kerral..." Said Tyris, fearfully as he took another step back.

"What?" Kerral replied, ignoring his friend's face in favor of turning to Sakura with the grin of a man who was about to get lucky. It was the last expression he would ever wear. Sakura disappeared and Tyris heard a sickening, splotch sound, accompanied by the crunch of breaking bone.

"K-Kerral! Kerral!" He screamed in horror, backing all the way away from his friend.

Sakura Haruno's hand protruded from the back of a rictus-mouthed Kerral, spine grasped firmly in fingers that had too many joints. The girl's face seemed to smile in anticipation, eyes crazed with an inhuman rage.

"Are you sure it isn't _you _who belongs beneath _me!" _She snarled staring into the wide eyes of soon-to-be-dead Kerral and her voice carried an echo that boomed across the courtyard.

She pulled her hand from out of Kerral's stomach with a sickening twist and his body crumpled to its knees, down to her eye level. She only stared at him with that maniacal grin as an orange-red glow began to mute the courtyard.

She backhanded the fallen man across the face and he fell haphazardly to the ground, his face plummeting into the bushes with a spray of blood and a hollow shuffle of branches.

"And you?" She said, turning her eyes lazily to the other guard. The man was panicking, frantic noises escaping his mouth. Trying to scream and afraid to at the same time. "Oh... are you frightened? Well... that just goes to show you that raping children comes with a price."

_This rage. Oh this wonderful rage!_ Sakura thought as she basked in the aura of Kyuubi's chakra. Never in her life had she felt so much power. Already... so much power! More than even her jounin form! And so goddamn deliciously filled with killing intent! She...

"A-Alarm! Sound the Alarm! Attack on Gatou! Intruder!" Tyris shouted as he ran, fleeing through the courtyard. Lights turned towards her, slowly becoming useless as the sun finally began to crest over the horizon.

Sakura gave a frown and leaped, arcing over the fleeing soldier as sirens began to ring in the distance.

_No! I'm supposed to be killing Gatou! Kill him and get out...! That was... the plan._She landed and Tyris stopped dead, staring her straight in the eyes for only a moment. She swiped with a bloody arm that trailed the red billowy aura of her rage as it cut through the air and the man's neck alike.

She turned even as Tyris's body slumped over, blood trailing in a river down his severed throat, head lolling sickly.

_Little bastards react fast!_She thought with a wild, untamable grin as she stared at the veritable sea of samurai and guards swarming to her spot.

She flared her chakra and the closest Samurai were halted by the sudden gust of wind she produced. The red of rage consumed her and she could not resist its luscious call. Didn't want to. Kyuubi... felt _wonderful! _

_Fuck the plan. _

"You wanna fight? _Come on!"_

Sakura Haruno _moved. _And people began to die.

* * *

><p>Naruto felt a sudden jolt. Like a cold chill concentrated in the center of his stomach, but it was gone a mere second later. He had no time to focus on pinpricks.<p>

Well, actually he had to desperately focus on pinpricks. He dodged and ducked and wiggled to the best his ability and only really managed to dodge a fair half of the endless senbon needles flying towards him from the endless ice mirrors surrounding him.

Endless. Endless was the best way to describe this goddamn masked nin's fighting prowess, and Naruto was beginning to feel a drain of hopelessness enter his psyche.

"S-Sasuke. Any ideas?" He asked worriedly, but he received no reply.

_Concentrate. I can... see... something. _Sasuke focused as Haku spoke. He ignored Naruto focusing entirely on the movement. On what was happening. On Haku.

Sasuke moved, throwing his body into that tiny fragment of displaced air that he seemed to be able to witness each time a new salvo of senbon peppered he and his pincushion of a teammate. To his own subtle shock, he connected. A body was thrown off course and the masked nin faded for just a moment into normal visibility.

"Naruto! Get him!" Sasuke shouted.

"On it!" The blond exclaimed as fourteen more shadow clones appeared, each surrounding and ready to attack the disabled faux-hunter nin. But they weren't fast enough. The blue haired ninja escaped into one of his mirrors, his form refracted into each of the mirrors again, impossible to discern which was which.

But now Sasuke knew. He wasn't invincible. He had a weakness.

"_Sharingan..._" The hunter's voice echoed throughout their icy enclosure. Sasuke caught onto the other nin's plan a moment too late. "You... move well. Too well."

"Naruto!" He exclaimed, but too late. Fourteen clones exploded at they were skewered with senbon, while the real Naruto felt the harsh touch of twenty pins jabbing into his chest and back.

"Gahh..!" The blonde boy screamed falling down and shielding his face from the barrage of senbon about to impale him. A barrage, which never came.

"S-Sasuke!" He exclaimed. "You...!"

"Che. All you ever do is get in the way... dobe..." Sasuke Uchiha stood, his body impaled all the way through with the senbon that would've killed Naruto.

* * *

><p>Hatake Kakashi blocked Zabuza's sword with nary a moment to spare. Deflected, the great sword rebounded and the missing nin of mist backed away, scouring his image from view with the dense fog.<p>

Kakashi looked back, noting that Tazuna was safe. He didn't know why Sakura had left again this morning, but he was glad. She would've been the one protecting Tazuna. And with a stroke like that, she might not have been as lucky as the wary bridge builder had just been.

"Impressive that you blocked such a strike, Kakashi." Zabuza intoned. "But not fast enough!"

Kakashi felt Zabuza's intense chakra flair and prepared to strike, but something interrupted it. Without warning, an explosion echoed in the distance that stopped everything. A rush of power that dwarfed everyone on the bridge. Looking through the cracks in the icy mirrors, Sasuke spotted a mushroom cloud erupting far from their battle.

Then, a wind blasted across them, blowing Zabuza's mist away entirely. Clarity greeted Kakashi's eyes as he spotted the mist nin standing at the edge of the bridge. Tazuna was safe for a moment. He checked to the right and found Sasuke and Naruto still standing within the confines of that Icy prison the other boy had summoned.

_Are they alive...? God let them be alright._

"Clever, Kakashi... I thought you Konoha nin's were all goody goody. Clever indeed." Momochi intoned as he stared at the mushroom cloud in the distance. Red lances of energy seemed to be spasming over the tops of trees, their existence echoed by the dark cloud above.

_This chakra! So much! Who could be so strong...? _The jounin thought with worry, his own eyes settling on the massive explosion what must be nearly a mile away.

"Going after my paycheck. If Gatou dies what's the point of killing the builder? I wondered where the pinkette was. To trust _her_ to it though? Perhaps you should've given such a difficult task to your _worthy _tools." He gave a nod to Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto was holding onto the broken Uchiha, on the edge of unconscious on the ground. They were... arguing about something.

"Haku! To me!" Zabuza's voice was like flipping a light switch off. The ice mirrors disappeared in an instant, and the masked nin materialized into existence behind the sword-wielder. "Till next we meet Kakashi!"

Kakashi growled as the two nin's disappeared. He turned, moving to his genin with all due haste. "Naruto! What happened?"

Naruto turned up to Kakashi... "S-Sasuke, he-!" He turned back to the probably dead boy he'd hated with such passion. The brother he'd never known had been his. "Sasuke took it for me... I didn't ask for your help teme! I didn't ask for...!"

Rage and tears began to color Naruto's vision as he stared at the mushroom cloud in the distance.

"They'll pay..." He growled lowly.

Faster than even Kakashi could see Naruto vanished in a flash of red.

"Shit!" He exclaimed looking down at the fallen Uchiha, and back to the bridge builder.

Gazing over the points of entry Kakashi realized what a mere two months of training had hidden from Naruto's unskilled eyes. Sasuke Uchiha was going to be just fine.

"Tazuna-san, I think you are safe for now. Would you watch over Sasuke for me?" He asked pleadingly. Without waiting for an answer, the silver-haired jounin was gone. Off to chase what looked suspiciously like a tail of glowing red chakra that he'd only seen once.

Thirteen years ago...

* * *

><p>The air was filled with smoke from the barrels upon barrels of gunpowder and other explosives that had gone up in flames as a result of Kyuubi's chakra. An unnatural heat filled the compound with a small measure of the danger of the creature residing there.<p>

The creature in the form of a young pink haired girl.

A great hulk of a samurai's fist bared down upon Sakura with all the weight of a whale, ready to pound her tiny thirteen-year-old body to death.

She casually caught the fist with her left hand and then pinned a blade swinging for her neck from the right between her thumb and index finger. Baring down on her, she suddenly dropped her hold of the great Samurai's fist, bringing the hulking man's eyes mere inches away from her own.

"Pathetic." She uttered, feeling the second samurai trying desperately to remove the scimitar from between the grip of her two fingers and failing. Kyuubi's chakra enhanced every pore. Her fingers were stronger than mountains, her toes could make tidal waves!

Her left hand tugged the guard's arm and his body followed like a sack, skewering itself on the other man's sword even as the heavy body crumpled upon the swordsman with an "Oomph.'

The two fell into a heap on the ground, joining a pile of nearly thirty similar dead and dying men in a path of blood around the compounds inner courtyard.

"Isn't there anyone better than you slackers!" She screamed turning around and viewing the semicircle of guards warily keeping their distances from her. Seven in total, each face plastered with more fear than the last. "This it...? Heh."

Sakura summoned her chakra... and sprouting from her back came a tail of blazing red chakra. Her slitted eyes grinned at them all and she sent the tail towards them. It sliced the earth in front of her opponents and a wave of dirt exploded up from the ground, barreling down upon the unlucky guardsmen.

The wave rolled picking up the samurai's and continuing on to burst out of the walls of the compound before crumbling into a mound of rubble.

"So easy..." She thought with a giggle. "Pitiful little..."

A sudden spike of killing intent alerted the pink haired bijuu container of the assassin. Sakura had only a second to duck the slash of an unbelievably fast object hurling towards her and cutting the air where her neck had been. A sudden twang drew Sakura's attention to the object behind her and found a sword bigger than her jabbing into the wall of a nearby building.

"Zabuza..." She intoned. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on the bridge?"

"Che." the spiky-haired missing nin scoffed at the pinkette. "Far more then they seem this team of Kakashi's." He seemed to speak to himself before finally directing his voice towards Sakura. "Aren't you little brats?"

"Aww... nah, I'm just a cute lil' genin! Scared to death of all that big bad aura you're putting out!" This comment struck even Zabuza as ridiculous with the tail of red chakra behind her carving sculptures out of buildings without the girl seeming to even notice.

It irked Zabuza that he _had_ thought the girl was nothing more than a genin during their first encounter. They'd been holding back. _A lot._Based on the aura the little girl was putting out she might be even stronger than the famous copy nin.

And most importantly... why the fuck was it _red?_

"Well little girl. Don't expect me to be scared off by a few dead guards." He murmured. "Ha-!"

"Haku!" Sakura exclaimed, interrupting the missing nin. "Hi! Hey did Sasuke-chan get his Sharingan?"

The boy was wearing a mask but if he weren't Sakura was certain she'd have seen him blink.

Momochi forestalled any answer Haku might've been about to give with a quick hand motion that silenced the boy. "No words Haku. These genin are far more dangerous than we thought."

_Such tremendous Chakra! What _is _she? _Zabuza thought as a trickle of sweat trailed down his neck. He showed no expression, and it was extremely difficult to fear such a small looking thing. But he'd seen Haku's power. He was no fool as to underestimate someone because of size. He regarded the pinkette with a wary alertness that even Kakashi had been unable to evoke.

"Aww... Zabuza come on! I bet he did. I bet Haku threatened to kill them but chickened out and just knocked him unconscious. Ne? Little wimp."

Sakura nearly _heard _the boy's teeth grinding. She grinned. The Kyuubi's chakra begged to be released in the heat of battle. Her voice was merely the channel. She taunted and teased, provoking rage so profound that she could nearly tasted it. A demon of rage. It was only proper that she do her best to evoke it...

_Come on Zabuza! Haku! Sate my anger! Let me feel the joy of beating you! _

Suddenly, a flash of motion nearly a hundred meters off upon one of the outer walls of the compound caught Sakura's eye. A hint of blue silk, high on the wall. An old hobbling man, short and nearly bald, running for all he was worth towards the docks. A small contingent of guards ran behind and ahead of the man but Sakura didn't care for them.

_The plan..._The words came to her rage-addled mind like a dim light lit far in the distance. Like the sound of a singer drowned by the cacophony of a roaring crowd. Even so, that small voice was enough. She latched onto it, without really comprehending why.

What was she doing? Challenging Zabuza and Haku to battle? That wasn't the plan... why were they even here? What had gone wrong? The plan... what was...

_Kill Gatou. Stop the battle before it happens! _It all came back to her with sudden unrelenting clarity, a dagger of reason cutting through the haze of anger the Kyuubi's chakra brought with it. The plan... ruined by an offside comment that could've even been considered a compliment! And what? She'd killed a hundred guards and gained _nothing!_

_Naruto... dealt with this... this anger... every day? How? How could such joy as his come from a boy so utterly influenced by hate?_

The red chakra was rapidly draining. The battlefield's saturation was ebbing away with each moment and the insanity of her challenging Haku and Zabuza was becoming more and more apparent. _Holy shit_what had she gotten herself into?

One shot. One chance. The plan... the plan could make the entire battle null and void!

She reached for a kunai, previously unused and untouched in her battle with Gatou's peons, and the two ninja near her tensed ready for a battle the likes of which they'd never faced before.

They would be disappointed.

Taking aim, she flung the kunai, watching as Zabuza and Haku readied themselves to catch the projectile, only to follow its trajectory in shock as it came no where near them.

Zabuza's eyes widened; too late did he spot the true target of Sakura's killing intent. The kunai flew true, and in the distance the small yelp of an old man echoed across the clearing. The body of Gatou toppled against the railing on the high wall and slumped. His fat belly provided enough weight to send him over. His contingent of guards stopped in shock as the old man fell off the wall and landed on the ground with a dismal thud.

"Gotcha!" Sakura exclaimed with a smirk. The throw would've made Tenten weep in envy.

Momochi Zabuza stared at the crumpled body for a moment already aware of the implications of Sakura's attack. "My goddamn paycheck... you _bitch! _I needed that little-!"

"I just saved your life!" Sakura hissed, interrupting the swordsman with a glare. "Kakashi was going to kill you, and Haku would've taken the blow! Then Gatou was going to clean up when we were too tired to fight back. What do you think all these goons were here for!"

The red chakra was draining. Faster now, Sakura was feeling more and more like her calm, rational self. She was... recovering. Weaker. Tired and... _stretched. _

_My coils. They feel so... strained. I used too much chakra... Far too much!_

Her body felt like it had been pressed by a rolling pin. Or like a slinky that had been stretched so far that it would never return to its original position. So much space... channeling her own blue Chakra was like trying to strain faucet water with a filter the size of a whale. It felt... wrong.

Yet so right. She could _feel _her amount growing to match this newfound capacity.

_Is she right? So many soldiers. Could we have fought them all after facing Kakashi? _Zabuza thought. But he was given no time to deliberate.

The red chakra suddenly burst into existence, once more flooding the compound with its vile immensity.

_Why? I stopped it! _Sakura thought frantically as she tried to reign in her control. How? How was she expected to hold back the power of something she couldn't even feel!

_"DIE!" _Naruto's voice exploded through the complex as an entire wall exploded; a near laser of red light erupted through, catching Haku unawares and slamming the masked boy into the grain storage tower behind him. Cracks spidered up the iron side of the building in a circle around the imprint of the masked boy's back.

He didn't move.

_Of course! Naruto. How could I be so stupid? Not _my _chakra! _Sakura mentally smacked herself as she watched the enraged boy on all fours enter the compound. He stared at Haku with eyes blazing with red fury.

"Haku!" Came Zabuza's low baritone. The elder held his recovered sword aloft and stepped in the path of the boy whose aura surrounded him like a cloak. Menacing eyes laid into the missing nin, and Sakura was surprised to see Momochi take a step back.

"Back down boy..." The elder ninja gave a solemn threat. Even so he was clearly unnerved by the boy crouching on his hands and feet like a fox ready to spring for its prey. "This fight is done. If you leave now, you can live."

Naruto's eyes were wild with the same rage she had felt only moments before. He cocked his head to the right, insanity sparking through the smile that cracked across his lips. "Done...? He...he...he... _noo! It's not _done!"

Before Zabuza could blink Naruto sprung. He swiped with a feral claw that was only just blocked by the fall of Zabuza's massive sword. The missing nin was not fast enough for the second swipe. The back of Naruto's hand cut in through the mist-nin's guard and backhanded him across the face with enough force to send him careening out of range. Sakura watched in subtle awe as Momochi slammed face first into the rubble of an already destroyed building.

"Naruto! You have to stop!" Sakura shouted, her hand outstretched to prevent him. _If he kills Haku and then finds out that Sasuke's still alive... by god it would destroy him!_

The boy's eyes turned to look at her for just a moment. An instant. A brief flash of sanity and the cool blue of his true eyes. But it only lasted a moment.

_"_They were here... here to kill you too, Sakura?" The voice was not Naruto's. A pale imitation. A Naruto burning with a dark passion so opposed to his true nature that it scarred Sakura's soul.

_"Water Dragon!"_The cry exploded in the distance, neither Naruto nor Sakura having noticed the array of hand seals produced by the Demon of the Mist. As had happened during their first encounter, a dragon of water erupted from Zabuza's person. Powered by the chakra of a master jounin and S-Class ninja, the dragon barreled down on them, its wide mouth ready to swallow them whole and drown them in its watery belly.

Naruto's teeth bared in a snarl. His hand swiped at the tsunami of water, and was followed by a _wave _of red blazing fire that the dragon's fury could not match. The watery beast exploded, its body collapsing into nothing more than a mere splash as it impacted on Naruto's barrier of blazing red.

_He deflected it!_Thought the horrified mist nin. "Haku!"

"You... killed Sasuke..." Naruto approached the blue haired boy on his four limbs, ignoring the tired Zabuza. His whiskers, mirroring Sakura's own, were ripped into what looked like full facial scars. The unconscious Haku failed to respond, his expressionless mask doing nothing to sate Naruto's rage. Looking close, Sakura noted a trickle of blood dribbling down the boy's chin. Was he... already dead?

"No!" Zabuza shouted as Naruto lunged, pouncing upon the fallen boy like a lion about to rip out a gazelle's neck.

_Naruto. "STOP!"_

The world shifted. Sakura felt her own rage bubble as she used this ability, this gift, and made the world shift, teleporting to Naruto's side. She felt her stretched coils fill to the brim with energy once more as she called upon the rage of the Kyuubi.

In an instant, the world snapped back onto place and clawed feminine fingers of the Kyuubi's container met clawed masculine fingers of the same. Clasping together, Sakura halted Naruto in his tracks.

_"He killed Sasuke!" _Naruto screamed, his voice dark as storm clouds seemed to gather overhead. Electricity seemed to pool in the air as a vortex of energy swirled around the two fighters.

_"The Uchiha is fine!" _Sakura shouted. _"Control it Naruto! Control it...! _Don't become a victim of this rage... you're... better than this!"

Naruto spit. His anger was too great. He didn't even seem to realize who he was fighting. One hand disengaged her and sliced down. Sakura's own Kyuubi chakra gave her enough speed while her own skills as an ex-jounin gave her the warning she needed to disengage and dance away before Naruto's swipe cleaved her clean into strips of human flesh.

Her eyes blazed with red of their own fury. _This has to stop. I can do this... I'm strong enough. So much capacity! I just have to..._

They engaged. Swiping each other in fury as Zabuza watched the exchange in awe. Sakura felt the man creeping around to Haku ever so slowly, and she did her best to give him the room to do so. Naruto's wild swipes were as fast as lighting and Sakura could only barely keep up. Her weakness, her weariness with using the Kyuubi's chakra was becoming slowly apparent. The rage was all consuming but she held it at bay.

"Naruto!" Came Kakashi's shout from the hole in the wall the blonde had destroyed.

Everything seemed to slow down for Sakura. Naruto's slices were drawing blood and she was too weak to stop them. Dodging didn't work, their range was uncanny. He was mad with a rage that she couldn't stop. Gashes ripped in her skin and her own blood littered the ground as she did everything she could to avoid his strikes.

Zabuza... he wasn't going for Haku! The sharp gleam of light from his sword struck her eye as he dashed towards the battling pair of jinchuuriki, his great blade slashing sideways to assassinate both her and Naruto while they fought each other.

Kakashi! His hand whistled with the glow of lighting, and over Naruto's screaming she could hear the chirping of a thousand birds. The Chidori, aiming for the assaulting Zabuza.

_NoNoNoNoNONONO! _The pinkette screamed in her mind. _It has to stop! _

_Everything..._

The sword point fell.

_Must..._

Kakashi's legendary speed and lighting feet rocketed fourth.

_Stop!_

And all of it ended.

Sakura felt the activation of her bloodline and grinned. "Anti-Terror!"

All Chakra, dissipated, draining to the pink-haired genin in an instant. Kakashi tripped as the momentum from his Chidori left him and slammed into the ground. Zabuza likewise lost his balance as the Chakra sustaining his speed sputtered and died, sending the man tripping to the ground moments before his sword might've cleaved Naruto and herself in two.

The crackle of Naruto's red chakra gave a visible quake. Then, the aura slid like a cyclone of air funneling down into the transparent dome of light that sheltered them all.

Complete chakra shutdown.

Sakura screamed. Never even in all her days as a jounin had she silenced so many chakra fields. The power flooded her veins quadrupled even her Kyuubi-induced coil stretch. A hurricane contained within a bottle.

She had the barest moment to give the chakra a direction.

_Up._

The sound of a sonic boom and a sharp gust of wind brought the residents of all of Wave Country to their knees. Awe filled their eyes as a blue and red ball of shimmering light blasted into the sky, bright enough to make the sun seem dim.

When the dust storm settled, a crater was left below, and at the bottom lay two genin. Further outside the crater a silver haired Konoha nin was left slowly picking himself up, wondering just what the hell his pink-haired genin was hiding. A missing ninja from mist who'd been much closer to the blast than the Konoha nin, and a young boy with an icy bloodline lay nearby. Both were down but Kakashi could tell Zabuza was still awake.

Down in the pit, Naruto's blue eyes turned wearily to his fully unconscious pink-haired teammate in awe. "Sakura-chan? I... I'm sorry..."

A smile rested on the female genin's lips. And three whisker-marks adorned each pale cheek.

* * *

><p>"I know we're getting paid a lot but I just don't feel good about this, Frehn." These were the words that greeted the last Uchiha as consciousness slowly filtered back to him. "I mean... just killing these guys? What've they ever done to deserve that? The old man's building a bridge out of his own fucking pocket on the hopes of making this dump into a better place. What right do we have to stop that...?"<p>

Sasuke opened bleary eyes. What had...? Oh right. The dobe. Wait, he was still alive? Fuck his body hurt like hell!

Sitting up, the Uchiha winced in pain as he realized that the senbon that had pierced his body during the battle with Haku were still unbearably present. "Ghaa! Ugh." He shouted as he fell back down, twitching at the pain rushing up his spine and through his pierced limbs.

"Ey' the kid woke up!" Came another voice that Sasuke didn't recognize.

"Bad for him. Goddamn that looks painful. Hey kid... you okay?" Came the first voice again. Neither was familiar to the black haired genin.

Focusing, Sasuke noted the two were fully grown men. Both bore swords that looked vaguely like the ones worn by samurai that had frequented the villages near Tazuna's home. Wait... hadn't those Samurai been employed by Gatou?

"Sure we shouldn't've tied this one up? I mean, they say he's one of those _ninja." _The word was spoken reverently, but there was a hint of mockery to it. As if the man weren't sure whether the legends about ninja were real or merely hearsay.

"Nah, look at him. Boy can barely move as it is. I'm not a cruel man. Here boy. Want some food? 'Fraid I don't really know how to doctor ya and those needles look damn painful, but I'm getting paid for a job at the moment." The man said as he casually tossed a banana down to Sasuke.

_Who the hell are these two? What happened to the dobe? How am I alive...?_

Sasuke's mind was alive with questions but he wasn't a genius for nothing. Tied him up... why would they tie him up?

Abruptly he realized that he was no longer on the bridge but at Tazuna's home. He glanced around and his eyes widened as they fell on the tied and bound forms of Tazuna, Inari, and Tsunami. They were each covered with bruises and cuts though none were severely damaging. All of them seemed to be breathing.

Sasuke's eyes quickly narrowed.

Gatou had sent these men, probably to kill Tazuna's family.

Bastards...

Sasuke Uchiha was in pain, but he was no stranger to it. He slowly picked up the banana. And he grinned.

_Sharingan. _

Years later two near-drunk ex-thugs could be found in a local tavern telling the story of how a boy peppered with senbon needles had knocked them both out with a banana.

* * *

><p>"So, you're not going to attack us anymore?" Kakashi asked lowly as he knelt next to his two genin protectively. He idly noted that Naruto was still awake but seemed slightly delirious. That was good. Maybe he didn't know what he'd nearly done.<p>

Zabuza and Haku were both rising as well, the young boy's mask now removed to reveal what Kakashi would've believe to be a girl had he been less skilled in observation.

"No point." Zabuza voiced lowly. "Gatou was my ticket. He was going to fund my attack on Hidden Mist. Might've even hired Konoha for it. But now...?"

Kakashi failed to hide his surprise entirely. It was strange to see such a powerful jounin appear so world-weary. "May I ask why?"

"You've heard the rumors about me? The bingo book tells my story well enough. I killed my graduating class... in the hopes of destroying that broken tradition. I... _must_become Mizukage. I want... to make it right. No more killing your teammates to graduate. No more children taken from parents and forced into the Shinobi way... No more boys like Haku left to starve when they fail or become crippled." Zabuza's words came with the broken voice of a man who'd been striving for a goal and failing all his life.

Kakashi felt pity. "I'm sorry."

Zabuza sighed. "One country's freedom for another I 'spose. Bad karma, letting this nation suffer while using its funds to try to make my own better. Perhaps it's for the best. I'll find some other way."

The man turned and began walking away from hidden wave, and on to the next opportunity. With a sharp gesture, Haku rose and followed in silence.

Zabuza left one parting piece of advice though. "Those kids of yours, Copy-cat nin? Train them well. Make sure they don't become monsters like... well..."

No more words were needed. "I will." Kakashi replied softly.

"Ka... Kakashi-san? What happened?" Naruto's crackly voice echoed. "Sasuke... Sakura? Are they...?"

"Both alive. Both well." The jounin said softly. "Quite the C-Rank mission this has been, eh?"

Naruto smiled as he began to rise.

Both of them turned their eyes to the whisker-marked face of Sakura Haruno.

"What happened to her Sensei? I remember... she used... she used red chakra like me. And then she stopped it. Did... did I do this to her...?"

The jounin knelt and lifted the smiling girl with a worried glance. "I don't know, Naruto. I... I don't know."

* * *

><p>"-Honestly, don't know what's going on in this world today. Explosions, lights in the sky. Its like the whole world's been turned on end." Said an old-timer standing just outside one of the vendor's shops in the midst of Wave Country's central capitol. "Hard times. Hard times it'tis! Why when I was a boy this place was filled ta' burstin' with people and had food and water aplenty. None of this... this taxes! I swear it's like those old stories. Wish we had a, a "Robby Hooded" stealing from the rich and givin' to us poor folk. Ain't no such thing though. Ain't no such-!"<p>

"Taxes are lifted! Gatou's dead! Tazuna's giving out food down at the barges for free! Bring everyone! Your families! Your friends! Tell the whole of Wave! Heroes! We have a heroes again!"

The old man sat with his mouth hanging open as he stared at the young fellow who'd bounded by shouting up a storm. Then he glanced back to the vendor.

_"Well I'll be damned...!" _The old man exhaled.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>Here's another chapter! Bit shorter but a _lot_more fun! Sorry to those who have noticed errors with italics and spacing. It's this crappy mac I'm writing on and/or fanfiction net's filters I promise. I don't miss spaces. Heh.

Hope you like the plot so far. Trying to distance myself from the mundane time travel fics but you know… keep that air of mystery. I hope ya'll are enjoying it.

Special thanks to ozz as always.

Also I'd like to tribute a goodly portion of this fic's inspiration to "Time Braid." One of the most epic Naruto time travel fics out there. It is _incredible. _Read it, _now. _

My other fics are still in progress. Sorry to those still waiting for more Her War. It's coming I promise. As for Anarchists? Well. Keep your fingers crossed. All I can say is its not dead. Life support maybe but not dead.

Till Next!  
>MB<p> 


	4. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: **Shit not mine.

**Chapter Three**

* * *

><p>Sakura Haruno walked slowly through the great echoing halls that seemed to hold no end. Water drips echoed every couple of moments, giving the impression of a sink, not quite turned off. The world seemed dark and grim and this place was the bottom of a sewer or a bar moments after closing. A strange place. A strange world.<p>

But Sakura recognized it as home.

_Wh...wh...what the... the hell is...! _The voice of a terrified girl woke her fully. A series of bars lay in the far corner of the hallway and beyond them laid a dark and dismal abyss that seemed to suck the dim light around it in and gobble it.

She turned to find a phantom of herself, quivering and pointing fearfully towards the cage. "Wh-what did you do to us? Why do I feel so different? Am I... dying...?" The girl shook as if she were cold but that was impossible. In her own mind, the temperature was always right. The girl was afraid and young, and also clearly had not been gifted with the memories from the future that her normal self had.

So Sakura took pity on the being once known as Inner Sakura. She stood and gave the phantom version of herself a smile. "Yes. You are. I'd feel sorrier if you were anything more than a figment of imagination."

"I'm... just a... figment?" The phantom's eyes drooped. Its body was a strange form of transparent blue. "Why...? I don't want to..."

"No choice." Sakura interrupted the girl. "It's for the best. You were not meant to be cooped up in here in the first place. As you die, your personality quirks mix with the real me. All that 'Shannaro' business you're so fond of? That'll finally see daylight."

"I... how did you change so much? So quickly...?" The ghost turned away and walked a few steps. "Replaced with that... caged beast. I don't wanna fade away."

The girl popped from existence, leaving Sakura alone in the confines of her mind. _Probably not dead._Sakura assumed that the girl had run away to another part of her mind.

_It's for the best_. The pinkette thought sadly. _So. This is Kyuubi's cage. Not the brightest place in the neighborhood. I somehow always thought my mindscape would be a bit shinier. Maybe have a bit more unicorns..._

"That's because this isn't your mindscape, Monkeylette." A voice rumbled with an unearthly tune, echoing out of the blackness behind the bars like some devil waiting to creep out and devour souls.

Sakura cocked an eyebrow. She felt vaguely like she was in a children's story.

"Oh? Well since you're inside me I assumed..."

"It's all about you." The Kyuubi snorted derisively. "This is a pocket construct created by me to induce a pleasant chat with my human host. The bars are a representation of the seal. But in this particular seal they're largely for show."

Sakura gulped as she felt a presence appear behind her. The Kyuubi, in all his size and wonder stood nearly as tall as the grand, yet dismal hall they resided in. He sniffed and brought his face down to the ex-jounin. Eyes as big as she was, yellow and vicious, stared into Sakura Haruno's soul with a gaze more that pierced more than senbon.

"Ahh... Hi..." She waved. "So uhm... this is where you go for a pleasant chat?"

"I find the surroundings soothing and comforting. Since the Gaki believed it was his own mind, and you have followed suit I supposed most monkeys like yourself must dream of the comfort of such dens."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. The word _comforting_ simply did _not_belong on this creature's lips. "Suit yourself." She replied, trying to remain unintimidated by the majestic figure of the Ninetails in all its glory.

"So. You've become my human. Well done. And thank you for taking that stretch. It was almost unbearable being cramped in so tiny a body. This construct was the size of a walnut before your anger and rage allowed me free reign." The Kyuubi intoned gravely with a sort of sadistic humor to his tone.

Sakura was still stuck on what he'd said before. Truth be told, she was somewhat horrified by it. "Wait... uhm. The bars are... for show?"

"I found I liked the decor once I'd finally come to my senses with the gaki. They give the place a... feeling! A sense of grandeur!"

A drop of sweat trailed down the back of Sakura's brow and she tried not to laugh at the monstrous beast more than capable of eating her as a light snack. She really... _really_had to try.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what the Kyuubi was doing.

_His interaction with monkeys er-_humans_. _The girl corrected in her mind. _God I'm starting to call us monkeys now! _

Despite the oddities of her own mind she could see what was happening. The emotions given to the Kyuubi by living inside a human for so long were mixing with his own heritage in a rather absurd way. Sakura wasn't certain but she thought he might actually be trying to make a joke.

It was working.

The idea of the Ninetails, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, God of the Bijuu himself needing to add a sense of grandeur to a room while he added more than any decorative material ever could was uproariously funny.

"But wait... if the bars are for show... does that mean you can, I dunno, escape me?" She asked worriedly.

The Kyuubi nodded as if it were an everyday fact. "I can leave your soul at any time I wish. You didn't think I was going to truly _cage_ myself did you? That was one of the main reasons I hated my imprisonment. It was _imprisonment._One of the only changes I made to the seal was the change the symbol for 'prison' to that of 'home.'

"B-but... but you're not gonna right? I mean, you're staying here... aren't you?" She gulped fearfully. She didn't like the idea of Kyuubi ripping himself out of her soul. She couldn't imagine the feeling would be pleasant.

The Kyuubi gave a malicious grin. "Well... I could leave. But I don't think you'd be able to survive it. So... perhaps another day."

"Uhm... thank you?" She gave the gracious gesture warily, still unsure if this was a colossal joke or if the Kyuubi's threat should be regarded with pure and utter fear. She knew that he probably wouldn't put himself within her with the same limitations as had been forced upon him by the Yondaime... still. It was intimidating to know that a being of rage could feel up for a bit of relaxation and kill her by walking out his front door.

The Kyuubi frowned. "No sense of humor. The gaki would've laughed and been spouting about my eternal imprisonment by now... Go on go on. You're obviously not used to this yet." The Kyuubi turned away and then faded from existence, his enormous presence appearing within the cage once more. "Go on." The words came one final time.

And Sakura was falling...

* * *

><p><em>Curtains?<em> Was her first thought upon waking in the master bedroom of Tazuna's home. _Tazuna doesn't have curtains..._

Her eyes wandered the room. It somehow seemed to be a bit richer than she remembered. Some trinkets like the curtains and a piece of furniture or two were new. Upon the desk, that hadn't been there before the battle with Zabuza, sat a photo frame which captured a picture of team seven. It was the original that had been taken when they had first been made a team. Sasuke staring nonchalantly away. Naruto making a face, Sakura smiling, and Kakashi being his usual humorously late self.

_We were so small. _She thought idly. It took her a moment to remember that this picture had been taken no more than a few weeks ago at most. It was strange to think like that, but she knew she'd have to get used to it.

Turning further about the room she spotted a figure in a chair, and giggled. Silly Naruto sat, his head lolling on the back of the headrest, snoring up a storm. It was strange to think such a peaceful boy could be the maelstrom that she'd seen at the compound. But she knew why he'd been so angry. Sasuke. He'd thought Haku had killed the Uchiha and whether the blonde could admit it or not, the two were already developing that bond of brotherhood.

She cocked her eyebrow at the sleeping boy casually. He'd stayed with her of course. No one stayed with her back in her old world whenever she was injured. She'd wake up to a lonely room, a white ceiling... and a missive from a cold Hokage stating she was to be sent for another mission on the morrow.

She leaned towards the blonde and realized he'd probably not bathed in quite some time, but she didn't care. She kissed his cheek. Only a quick peck. But she hoped it would brighten his day, whether he knew he'd received it or not.

_Golden hearted boy, _She thought with a smile and a soft caress of his snoring face. _You'll change the world. I promise. I'll stand by you._

She stood up, irritatingly noting that she had been dressed in a new shift of clothing. She hoped and prayed that it wasn't Kakashi who had done the dressing of her wounds. But knowing her luck it probably wasn't.

She left the room, giving the sleeping blonde one more look before she closed the door. Voices filtered up from the kitchen below. Curiously, it was Sasuke's voice that she heard first.

"Get off me, brat!" He hissed with very clear irritation.

"But I saw it!" Inari was exclaiming with the sort of vigor that only a child whose dreams had been restored could match. "It was _so... awesome! _A banana! You took out those _huge_ samurai's with a banana! You saved mum and... and me. You're a he-!"

"I failed. I couldn't beat a single god damn ninja." The Uchiha interrupted. Sasuke's patience was clearly running far thinner than she could ever remember seeing it. Getting the Uchiha to speak a whole sentence in irritation was usually something only Naruto could manage. "Saving you was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time."

"I don't care!" The boy pronounced with childish glee. "You're a hero. No matter what you say."

"It was nothing any other ninja, even the dobe, wouldn't have done. Now get. Off. Me!"

Coming into view Sakura spotted the black haired genin sitting at the kitchen table, Inari's hands draped thankfully around his shoulders. Eyes gazing with the joy of hero-worship. Sasuke's were _far_ more sinister.

The echo of Sakura's fist impacting on the back of the Uchiha's head rang through the kitchen before anyone could see she'd moved.

Sasuke turned to greet the threat, only to be utterly surprised by the source of his now splitting headache. His jaw nearly dropped, and would've if not for the unending presence of Uchiha calm.

"_No Sharingan on Children!" _She exclaimed, hovering over the Uchiha and giving him a scolding his mother might've been proud of. "I can't believe you, arrogant little-! How are you any better than him_? Eh!" _

Sasuke barely heard her, though something she said tugged at him. A tiny representation of conscience screaming from beyond a thick wall. What _had_ he been about to do? Guilt panged at him for a sparse moment but it was overridden by a _far_more pressing concern.

_How the fuck did she hit me!_ _My Sharingan was active and she _hit_ me! _Thought the now thoroughly hero-worshipped genin.

"Ah! You are up!" Hatake's voice filled the air, muffled by the eggs currently occupying his mouth. "I thought you would awaken soon."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura erupted happily. "I'm glad everyone seems to be okay. How... what happened after?"

Kakashi finished his bite of eggs and interrupted. "Everything turned out well. Gatou was found dead at the complex and as such Tazuna has been responsibly giving the contents of his homes to the people of Wave. Food has been distributed and Wave is already beginning to thrive again."

"Good." She replied with a grin.

"And Sakura, we need to talk." Kakashi posed ominously. "About what you were thinking when you went off to find Gatou alone."

Sasuke gave her a curious look, but unsurprisingly, said nothing.

The grin Sakura had been wearing so happily, now crumbled. "I... alright."

* * *

><p>"Sakura." Kakashi intoned gravely as he stared down at the girl. Her hands were behind her back, and she dug the toe of her foot into the ground; all in all she was the picture of a properly chastened genin, even before he'd actually said anything.<p>

"Yes, Sensei?" She asked, her tone meek, her voice submissive.

She seemed so much like the Sakura he knew, and yet...?

_All those bodies. _He thought with a bit of horror. _How could this little genin be capable of that? Zabuza could've done it... but why? Why would he kill his own soldiers. _

His mind flashed to the battle, memory taking over. The ground had been littered with samurai. Weak, samurai, and probably only barely worthy of calling themselves such. Sakura _could_ have killed them. Even with merely her academy training the girl was smart enough to do so, and her training in even techniques as simple as kawarimi would more than thwart such rabble. But the Sakura he knew _couldn't _have done so.

She was far too soft-hearted, and a ninja didn't develop the ability to slay men in the manner that those men had fallen without time and a definite amount of trauma.

_Or a Bijuu with a serious rage-complex. _He thought warily as he stared the genin down. He'd been suspicious before. Now he had no choice. The girl had knowledge only a Konoha genin should have. She forgot things in the right places, and remembered information only a studios genin could know. But... something about the way she answered seemed.

_...Too perfect._He thought.

"I'm concerned about what you attempted to do." He told the young girl, and then amended, "What you _succeeded_in doing."

The girl's foot tapped more furiously on the ground, the boot sending up a small pile of dust

"I-I..."

"I'm the one who dressed your wounds after the battle." Kakashi intoned and watched for her reaction.

The girl blushed almost as pink as her hair. Kakashi nearly _growled._The reaction was so goddamn perfect. It was hard to imagine she was an infiltrator, especially not with her reactions so irritatingly accurate? Still...

_The simplest explanation is usually right. _Kakashi thought with a snort. Whoever had posed that idea had never encountered the ninja villages. Maybe not even the elemental nations. But just this once...

_Could she really just be the genin I know? Caught in something she can't control? That seal. How Under the Six Paths had she gotten _that?

"So you... you saw the-?"

"Seal? Yes. I saw it. And I do not understand." He said casually, then more cryptically, "You've provided me with a great many mysteries on this trip."

Sakura couldn't help herself. "Uhm... like what?"

Surprisingly, Kakashi decided to be honest. "The first. Your disappearance. At first I'd thought you were a deserter. Improbable, since that would get you missing nin status, and you knew that quitting as a ninja was more than optional. I would have sent you home and allowed you to return to life as a civilian at any time you wished. So I could only assume you'd been kidnapped or killed. When you'd returned I was nearly certain you were an enemy ninja. I almost killed you on several occasions."

Sakura gulped. Even with her jounin senses she'd felt no killing intent. The way the older man was so casual about it made her stomach turn.

"I'm glad you didn't." She replied. Knowing that hiding the fear she felt would be impossible she displayed its fullest. It wasn't difficult, as she was genuinely afraid of a Kakashi who truly thought she was an enemy. This was not the situation for a jounin. No, a young and terrified genin might be the only one capable of getting out of this situation alive.

God she hoped she could remember how to be one.

"You ran off again, but this time to assassinate Gatou. As it turns out, you probably saved our lives by doing so. Sasuke had been nearly killed and Naruto... well... you saw him." Kakashi intoned gravely.

"Sasuke... means a lot to Naruto. Even if he doesn't say it." She replied slowly. She knew without doubt that she was under a test right now and the wrong answer might get her a Chidori to the chest. Her bloodline was dominant during the higher echelons of its potential and with it fully active, and Kyuubi's chakra backing her, she _might _be able to beat the jounin in a brawl. But as of now, she wasn't even certain she could activate it, let alone stop Kakashi with it. As for her skills as a genin...? Pah. If it came to a fight, either Kyuubi saved her ass, or she was toast.

"You _fought him." _Kakashi put it into the open. "He was releasing Chakra in amounts that put both Zabuza and I to shame, and you _fought_ him. _That_is something no genin could do."

_Right. Yeah that was pretty stupid of me. Well maybe if I toss him a side dish he'll leave the main course alone. _She thought with a bit of apprehension.

"I... think I have a bloodline." She replied silently.

"We'll get to _that_ later. The point _now_is that you fought Naruto while using jounin level Chakra to a standstill in head-on combat. Something I'm certain I myself would be incapable of." Kakashi's tone began to grow a bit heated. Shit. He hadn't been fooled. Not in the slightest.

Sakura was beginning to realize the problem. Her jounin instincts and thoughts were getting in the way. Her reactions were picture perfect, but she couldn't feign the terror of a first kill. She couldn't impose the reactions of a genin onto her aged and wizened soul. Not in a believable way.

But... she knew someone who could.

Scrounging around in her brain, she found it. The phantom who inhabited her person like an imaginary friend, long since forgotten and ignored, wandering the childish remnants of an adult mind.

Inner Sakura.

She latched onto the personality that was once everything about her that she wished to be, and to its great surprise, threw the being into the forefront of her mind, giving it control of all higher functions while stepping back to watch what she hoped was a miracle unfold.

The reaction was nearly instantaneous.

The girl vaulted forward, the transcendent force of being thrown to the forefront converting to a more literal trip as she stumbled.

Kakashi was there in an instant. Catching her and preventing her from falling...

With a kunai at her neck.

"K-Kakashi-_senseeeeiiii!_" She exclaimed with full and complete terror that Sakura realized was for the most part unfeigned as she watched in satisfaction. She knew despite his cold outward appearance Kakashi could be a pretty big softy for a girl in pain. He was alot like Jiraiya in that regard.

Of course, Inner Sakura had only known their Sensei for a few weeks, maybe a month. Killing intent still frightened her. And Kakashi wasn't being shy with his now. Her sudden movement must've seemed like an attack. Even so, Sakura wasn't worried about him killing her. If he wanted her dead, she already would be. Instead, she just thanked the gods she still retained some control; otherwise her inferior aspect might've wet herself.

"How did you get that seal, Sakura?" The Jounin questioned coldly, his single eye meeting her terrified green orbs. Inside he was even more irritated.

Kakashi's mind was in turmoil. She just seemed so genuine! _If this really _is_ Sakura, and Naruto somehow spread the seal and the Kyuubi to her, then I'm scaring a defenseless genin for nothing._

"I... I don't know! Everything was normal until we fought Zabuza at the lake! Then everything started going wrong! I'm sorry! I'll... I'll get rid of it!" She answered with utter honesty. The real Sakura almost laughed in delight.

Kakashi's eyes widened.

"NO!" He demanded throwing the girl back. She fell and landed on her butt in the dirt and began to sob.

Kakashi sighed and put the kunai away. Then he calmed and approached the small genin. "No... Sakura you can't ever even _think_about removing that seal. If you do... if you do, something terrible might happen."

The genin was sobbing abated just a little. It probably didn't help that while she was terrified outside Sakura was cackling inside, dancing a victory jig.

"Wh-what is it, Kakashi sensei? What's happening to me?" The girl asked.

_I might have to keep you around, Shannaro-chan. _Sakura told the phantom currently controlling her body. _Maybe you are still needed. _

Inner Sakura was in control of the situation, but she could tell that she had somehow become the weak link in this symbiosis. Somehow the Sakura she had always known and been around to encourage no longer needed what she had to offer. At that, the girl perked up. Her tears let up and she wiped her eyes. Unable to respond to the voice within she merely returned her gaze to Kakashi.

He sighed and sat down beside her entirely, feeling like shit as he did so. The girl had tried valiantly to keep her cool in the face of things she couldn't possibly understand. She must've released Kyuubi's chakra herself in order to fight Naruto, and she didn't even know what it was she held.

And like a jackass, he'd made the poor girl's situation worse.

Even so, he couldn't help feeling a nugget of suspicion.

"Sakura... I don't believe you're an enemy ninja or a threat. I'm sorry I threatened you. I just need you to answer one more question for now." He gave the girl as he tried to gently rub her back.

She tensed at the touch but relaxed slowly.

"Why did you try to kill Gatou?" He asked with the prodding voice of what he probably hoped was a parental tone. He didn't do it very well but it was enough to get the crying girl to calm to the point of coherency.

This was the first question he'd asked that inner Sakura might have to lie for. Sakura almost threw herself back in control, but decided against it, betting on the girl's innocence to carry her through.

She did marvelously. "I-I just wanted to stop the fighting. I didn't want you and Sasuke to have to fight Zabuza again. And the only way I could think of was... was...! Oh god, all those people! I killed them. H-How did I-? _WHY did I...!_"

Again the girl broke down into sobs.

Sakura, inside, had trouble feeling empathy for the figment. Its honesty and genuine fear had just saved _both _their asses.

As an added bonus, she now got to watch Kakashi deal with the aftermath of scaring the shit out of a crybaby. And god-damn was it funny!

Kakashi sat idly on the roof of Tazuna's house thinking casually about his most unassuming genin. At first glance she was the casual little girl who never wanted to get in a battle and always trailed on Sasuke's coattails.

But then he had _this _mission.

The girl seemed just as weak as always during sparring. His eyes followed the movements of the girl below as she fought with Sasuke.

Frankly, he was kicking her ass.

But for the wrong reasons. He watched her battle and saw the beginnings of a myriad of different taijutsu styles that made no sense for a genin. She stood in a Hapkido style with her feet and used tai-fu-ken with her fists.

The idea was _genius._

For a taijutsu specialist anyway. For a person whose limbs had enough strength to block incoming enemy attacks and whose legs could withstand the force of such blows and remain standing, the style could be incredible.

A flimsy little girl like Sakura couldn't handle such rigors, though. But Kakashi watched her with his Sharingan realizing that the taijutsu style would work for him, even as Sasuke's fists broke through the girl's weak arms and slammed her into the other side of the green.

"Hey! Stop being such an ass Sasuke!" Naruto's voice echoed all the way to Kakashi, and he shook his head.

_I would know if we had another Jinchuuriki. At least I hope I would've been informed. The seal looks almost exactly the same as his though..._Kakashi thought, recalling the seal painted on Sakura's breast.

So it came down to three possibilities.

Either Sakura was a Jinchuuriki of an unknown bijuu, Sakura's bloodline allowed her to draw both Kyuubi's Chakra and the seal preventing his escape or...

_Or the Kyuubi is finding a way to escape. _

All three possibilities were worrisome in his opinion. As he pondered the possible implications of having a second child cursed with the soul of a demon, he shook his head.

_Just another day in the life. I wonder who's been keeping secrets _this_ time. _With that, the confused jounin turned his attention back to his genin, and caught Sakura giving Sasuke a rather out of character glare. Just one more thing strange about his newest surprising genin.

* * *

><p>The statues of Konoha's founders approached slowly. Far too slowly for Sakura Haruno's readily multiplying sense of restlessness. She was antsy. Her fingers were twitching with excitement and she was practically bouncing off trees. Her eyes seemed a little bit wider than they had ever before been. Her ears could hear more thing, and the even the air tasted fresh and new.<p>

Energy. Unquenchable, untamable, endless, endless, _endless_ energy filled her. With ever step she bobbed a bit on her toes, drawing the odd stares of her genin teammates but she found it very difficult to care.

She was delighting in the very fact that she was alive. Spring reigned and scents that her nose had once found droll and placid now seemed to wet her appetite for adventure, mayhem, and fun.

She knew now. She knew why Naruto had always been the energetic little ball of sunshine. The reckless one. The loudmouth. He couldn't help it. The world was just so fucking _alive! _How could people spend their days cooped up in houses? How had she wasted these precious years pining in her room in front of her mirror over the Uchiha when outside there had been such wonderful sunlight and so many faces to see and people to meet?

Paint the Hokage monument! Phaw! Sakura felt like she could blow it up and rebuild it in a day!

Abruptly, the path's winding trail opened to show the great gates of Konoha, ambitiously tall and foreboding to foreign enemies. To Sakura they were a catalyst. She could wait no more.

"Race you to the gates, Naruto!" She screamed, and she was off." She barely even heard the sound of Sasuke's "Che," or the surprised, "Huh?" from Naruto before she was halfway there.

Naruto caught on quickly though and within moments Sakura could feel the boy speeding after her, a grin on his face, their feet leaving a dust cloud in their wake.

Five minutes later the group was inside the gates. One slightly smirking Uchiha and two slightly breathless Jinchuuriki still happily bouncing all over. Their attitude was infectious and even Kakashi sported a grin under his ever present mask.

But as his eyes fell upon his destination, the Hokage's Tower, his good mood evaporated.

"This mission has been a complete success. You'll all receive pay along with a full debriefing tomorrow. You all did well. I'm going to report in at the Hokage Tower, but you all can go home and rest. It's been a trying week." Kakashi told the trio of Genin, his single visible eye showcasing his grin.

"Woohoo!" Sakura exclaimed, still high on the energy that had been building through the seemingly endless boredom and anticipation of the walk home. "Who could rest? We're finally home! It feels like it's been forever!"

Kakashi eyed her curiously, and she bowed her head, cringing. She was supposed to be a freshkill- a genin horror struck by their first kill. Her excited nature and all the damn energy Kyuubi was feeding her was not helping her keep up that illusion. Not at all.

If she was lucky, Kakashi would just think her suddenly overactive temperament was a cover for her real emotions. In reality, she was just that fucking excited. She was going to get to see Ino again! How long had it been...? And the Honored Third Hokage! Oh, she'd forgotten about his wrinkly old face! For an old dude he was pretty awesome... anyone who could go toe to toe with Orochimaru at the age of seventy five was an A-plus in her book.

"Not you." The Jounin interrupted her thoughts, waving a medical report in front of her. "You are going to the hospital."

"Whaaa! But I-!"

Naruto interrupted Sakura before she could utter another word. "H-hospital? Sakura, you weren't injured were you?"

Sakura was torn between complaining to Kakashi and answering Naruto. In her rush she caught a glimpse of Sasuke's expression. His eyes were cocked, lip stiffened in that way that showed he was concerned.

She pulled away at that look, her eyes routed to the Uchiha.

He did care.

She shook herself free of the surprise. It was difficult sometimes to separate the young Sasuke from his older counterpart. Of course he cared. For a teammate. If she knew anything about Sasuke Uchiha, it was that he was focused entirely on his revenge. Her pains and troubles, no matter how much they concerned him, were _always_ second priority.

And that thought brought forth the glare she directed towards the Uchiha.

One of several she'd sent him in recent days. She fixed her expression quickly, but it was already too late. The Uchiha had noted her narrowed eyes, and her tense frame. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't pretend to be an Uchiha fangirl. Not anymore.

Not after she'd had him and lost him...

"What?" He asked sharply. Everything about the Uchiha was sharp it seemed.

"Nothing." She told the black-haired boy. Turning back to Naruto she immediately began to placate the boy. "Don't worry Naruto. I just got a bit dinged up in the fight. Shouldn't be anything too bad. I'll see you all tomorrow."

Kakashi merely nodded at his genin, and gestured for her to follow him.

She walked after the silver-haired jounin, leaving Sasuke staring at her back, while Naruto idly scratched his head, wondering why she'd hadn't brought up her pain while they'd been in Wave.

Sakura sat idly for quite some time in a waiting room, growing ever antsier as the unbelievable amounts of energy contained within her practically begged to be let free. She was irritated. She'd been looking forward to getting home for so long now that a ninja physical seemed like it might make her wait just long enough that she had no choice but to kill herself.

"Sakura Haruno? You may follow me." Came the voice of a young brown-haired medic nin. Young as in, twenty eight at least, but Sakura's mind was having trouble distinguishing young and old at times. Sometimes she thought she was twelve. Sometimes she thought she was in her twenties... and every occasionally she found herself thinking she'd lived for _thousands _of years.

She followed the doctor, her far more energetic mind, playfully following the bouncing of the woman's bobbed hair until they made it into a small examination room.

Sakura, unlike most genin just in for their first physical, was unimpressed.

"Purpose?" The medic asked, probably just as, if not more bored than she was.

Sakura's reply was immediate and direct. "Post mission physical. Ninja, Genin Class."

"Mission Rank?"

"A."

The woman's eyebrows rose a tick, but little more occurred. Nor did she question the authenticity of the pink-haired genin. People didn't lie to ninja medical.

The woman withdrew a piece of paper from a slightly greenish folder that she'd been carrying with her, and Sakura recognized the paper as the same report Kakashi had waved in front of her at the main gate what seemed like hours ago.

She watched the medic's eyes go from bored, to wide, to nearly terrified in short order, and she began to cringe.

"Uhm. What does—err. What does it say?" She asked curiously, staring at the older woman with curious blue eyes. Inwardly she prepared to snatch up Shannaro-chan and throw her into control again.

"Sakura," The brown haired nurse seemed suddenly edgy. She gulped audibly as she looked at the pink haired girl and gestured to a small padded table. "Please lay down for me and take off your shirt. "

Sakura gulped.

The seal. Of course... Kakashi had sent her here to have the seal examined.

Well... it was bound to get out sometime. Hopefully the repercussions of having the same seal Naruto possessed would be little more than a few rumors that she'd slept with the Kyuubi container.

Hopefully...

"Hokage! I must see the Hokage! Immediately!"

"Get back. No one sees the Hokage without an appointment."

Cinco, an anbu on guard detail for the Sandaime, was having a bad day. A bad week, in fact. His last three missions, all B ranked, had ended with unsatisfactory results. He'd received half pay for two of them and one his performance had been so awful that he'd been denied pay. Worst of all, guarding the Sandaime, a task that bored even the freshest anbu, and a C rank mission as far as his class of ninja went, had been foisted upon him for the foreseeable future.

His house was a dump, and he hadn't had a good girl fall asleep at his side for months.

And now some damn medic was yelling at him for an audience with the Hokage when _everyone _knew that the Hokage was busy with paperwork from sunup to sundown. As bad as his life was Cinco supposed his life could be worse. After all, that paper work he'd seen the old man penning could've been his job.

A shiver crawled up his spine.

On second thought, perhaps guard duty wasn't so bad.

"P-please, sir. I'm begging you, this news is dire. Utterly dire. It must be brought to the Hokage immediately!" The medic was younger than him, with brown hair tied up in a bun, and two bangs ran playfully down the sides of a pouty face that had no business being as serious as it was right now.

The girl looked near to tears with worry.

Cinco turned to the other guard, Ekkerd, and the man shrugged. "This... seems pretty urgent. Medical doesn't usually joke around. Better go up and ask if Hokage-dono is busy." The other man told him.

Cinco nodded. "Alright. Back in a minute."

"Thank you! Please, tell him it's urgent." The girl exclaimed graciously, giving a slight bow exposed more than a little of generous cleavage.

Cinco pulse rose. "D-don't mention it."

The middle aged anbu turned, gulping and trying to ignore the snigger Ekkerd was letting out as he trudged up the stairs to the Hokage's office a floor above.

After he knocked several times and was allowed entry, Cinco stood before the old man, warily eyeing the stacks of paperwork that only seemed to be nearing half complete. The man's pipe was puffing clouds of smoke into the well lit room, but he had not really given any indication that he noticed Cinco's presence.

Even so, the anbu was painfully aware of the old man's attention. Just standing in his presence was intimidating at times, even though he was usually pretty easy going.

"Report, anbu Cinco?" The man demanded, with the barest hint of a question.

"My Hokage. A medic is downstairs claiming urgent business with you. She seems... very distressed. Should I tell her to go?" He asked.

It was at that moment that Cinco became aware of the presence of another man in the back of the room near one of the many book cases situated about the interior. Hatake Kakashi. Ex-anbu and ninjutsu powerhouse. Cinco had sparred with the other man once. It had not gone well. Irritatingly enough, he had not allowed the copy cat ninja entry, meaning he'd used one of the Hokage's secret entrances... or the open window.

It irked Cinco that the old man left himself open to attack so easily sometimes. Yes he was powerful but enough surprise could kill even him.

"No." The Hokage's low voice came back to answer Cinco. "Send her in. It might be pertinent to Kakashi's report."

"Yes Hokage." He intoned, and left the room.

The medic practically _dashed_up the stairs to get to the Hokage, frantically waving a piece of paper with what he thought was a seal chart imprinted on the page. Cinco couldn't be sure though.

"What was all that about anyway?" Ekkerd asked moments later when they'd been left alone once again.

"I dunno. Copy-Cat was up there though. Old man thought the medic might be related to him." Cinco's voice gave off a dull tone as he spoke, betraying his boredom.

Without warning, the village's alarms blasted through their ears. Giant sirens as loud as cannons alerting all of Konoha to some imminent danger. Then, the voice of the Hokage boomed, echoing off the mountain his face was carved into.

_"Attention Konoha! This is a city wide alert. Level three security protocols engaged. All citizens immediately evacuate to fallout shelters. All active duty ninja of grade chunin or below begin assistance with evacuations. All jounin and anbu assemble at the medical center. I repeat: this is a city wide alert. Level three security protocols engaged. All citizens..."_

Cinco and Ekkerd both tensed at first blare of the siren, training having already notified them both of its meaning before the Hokage even spoke. They both knew despite the new orders their own were clear. Protect the Hokage. It was always worrisome when some sort of threat reached Konoha, though inwardly, Cinco sighed in relief.

Today wouldn't be so boring after all.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>Sorry it's been a little while. This ficcy is fun to write, and I hope I haven't surprised any of you too much. Feel free to question just what the medic found, but I bet you won't guess it.

This is where my plot starts going in a bit more original of a direction. I have an interesting ride planned out. Hope you all enjoy! Also, if anyone out there is in a sad mood due to lack of MB updates, look up Nyan Cat. Fyuckin hilarious...

Leave a review! For me to myunch on!

Till Next!  
>MB<p> 


	5. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: **Shit Not Mine

**Chapter Four**

* * *

><p>Sakura was in a cell. She'd grown rather familiar with the ins and outs of this particular cell. Eight bars guarded the doors, each reinforced with some sort of Chakra field. Irritatingly, Sakura knew beyond doubt that she could use her bloodline and steal the ambient energy keeping her contained in this cell. But what would escape prove?<p>

Nothing more than the fact that Sakura had something to hide.

So instead, she was forced to sit and wait.

That had been all. The Hokage himself had marched directly into her room at the medical wing. A wave or two of his hands and Sakura woke up to the cold darkness of the dimly lit cells.

_Stupid! I could've countered that technique if I'd been rea-! _

But no. She could've countered the Hokage's technique. But then what? Provoke a fight with a man who could go toe to toe with Orochimaru? She might as well try to bring down the stars.

She sighed. To the best of her knowledge it had been hours. Only hours but torture and interrogation tended to let their torturees stew for a while. It was a mind trick. And no offense to the tactic but the Tsukiyomi could kick its ass.

Boredom was rather irritating though.

_Kyuubi, what have you gotten me into? _

Silence was the only answer the Kyuubi gave. She wondered if inside her, the Kyuubi was at all worried for what might befall her. Probably not. He had a far stronger goal than she did. It was his dream to repay Naruto. Her...? She was merely the vehicle.

A loud creak of ungreased doors, probably more for the intimidation than actual wear and tear echoed throughout the room. Someone had entered the cell block. The stone walls on three sides made the creaky sound bounce through Sakura's ears, and she had to admit it was rather foreboding.

The thing people didn't realize about torture was that even if a person had experienced more in the past, that didn't mean they wouldn't break for the right cause or for more time.

If these people played their cards well, which they _always_ did, then there was a good chance she'd be spouting her entire life's story by the end of a fortnight. But she wasn't even certain she was going to be tortured yet. All they knew was that she was dangerous. They'd let Naruto roam with that seal on his chest for all his young life. She was different. An anomaly. If she played well then perhaps she just might manage to be let free to roam too. But something told her that her seal wasn't _quite_the same as Naruto's...

Her eyes, well adjusted now to the darkened room, focused upon her tormentor as his footsteps echoed throughout the darkened room.

"Yamanaka-san!" She exclaimed. "Wh-why're you here?"

The man she'd known growing up as Ino's father. The man who'd allowed her to have slumber-parties and outings with his daughter during her youth, now stood before her with a sad countenance.

"Sakura." He replied lowly. "I believe you don't know what's happening, as you've said many times."

"Damn straight!" She exclaimed. "What the hell is so important about this tattoo!" With that curse she pulled down her shirt from the collar to expose the upper side of her breast and a bit of the seal imprinted there.

The man didn't bat an eye.

"I'm here to find out." He said solemnly. "I think you already know how."

Sakura sighed. "What? No intensive questioning to confirm my identity? Just diving right in?" She asked, irritably.

The man sat down at a small desk outside the cell, and raised the intensity of the lights in the room. Sakura shielded her eye. When they adjusted she saw that Inoichi wasn't the only person in the room. "H-Hokage-sama!"

"Sakura Haruno." The old man said in a voice she'd never heard from him. "The seal you have imprinted upon your chest was something of Konoha's design. You couldn't possibly have it if you were from a different village. This is how we know you are not some, some... thief or infiltrator."

She exclaimed. "If its Konoha's then you know what it does right?"

"It seals a demon into a human being by sacrificing the life of the sealer." The Hokage stated plainly in such a blunt way that Sakura was surprised. "The original seal was used as a prison. Yours though? No one would summon the death god for _your_seal."

Sakura shivered. Kyuubi had told her that the bars were merely there for show. Her seal was different from Naruto's. Kyuubi _wasn't_imprisoned. Kyuubi was... home. Perhaps she wasn't just a vehicle. Maybe she was more of a fox's den.

Creepy.

"Do you know how I, uhm... how I got it?" She gulped lying as best she could and doing a rather good job of it. Even so her metaphorical hands were tight around a lightly complaining Shannaro-chan's shoulders ready to thrust the girl into control should the situation prove dire.

"That is what we hope to discern. I have called Yamanaka out of retirement to make this easier on you. We know you are familiar with him from your younger years."

"Easier... pah. I know what you Sun-hairs do. Ripping memories from people and controlling them. Easier..." She shuddered, but then her eyes filled with worry. "Yamanaka-san. I don't know what's inside me. But whatever it is, it's strong." She told him softly.

"You know about it?" The Hokage asked cryptically.

"Dark feelings. Twisting my thoughts. When I fought at Wave I had strength that... I shouldn't have. I didn't think it was a _demon_possessing me but if you say it is, I'm not surprised." The pinkette told him. "Something dark this way comes... take care."

"I will." He replied. "I'm doing this for you Sakura; for Ino's childhood friend. Little else would've made me return from retirement."

Inoichi had always been a serious person. It was difficult for him to adjust to normal life after he retired. Sakura had noted this in her youth when she'd still been the best of friends with Ino. He tried very hard though, and she'd always thought he was a great example of fatherhood. Despite his seeming coldness, there was warmth behind his hard features.

Sakura's father had discouraged her daily from her ninja lifestyle when she was a genin. It grew all the more irritating when she became world renowned.

She nodded to the blonde-haired shinobi and sat back against her cell. "Let's get it over with."

He nodded back and sat in a chair outside her cell. "Shintenshin no Jutsu."

* * *

><p>Sakura's mind was a prairie field. Unlike the minds of most leaf ninja, which were usually forests, Sakura had always thought of the interior of her mind as a field. Each thought, belief and memory was a strain of grass. Wheat if it was a good memory. Weeds if bad. Perhaps a mosquito in the field if it was a wretched one.<p>

The field was surrounded by mountains. Again, most ninja she assumed used more symbolic barriers like the gates of Konoha, but her own mind, she felt the safest when in a valley surrounded by mountains. Inspired by the sense of protection the Hokage monument had always given her, the mountains sometimes took on the shapes of the founders.

But not always.

Sakura considered herself to be a fairy. Yes it was rather girly, she still realized, but it came from a story she'd heard as a child. She was a fairy, who governed the wildlife of this giant field of memories.

But as she was the ruler of her mind, Inochi's technique, gave _him_that power. She felt herself pushed aside as the sun-haired nin took over. She felt the contents of her mind begin to wring themselves up, each blade of grass becoming a screen for him to view as he chose, while she, the fairy bound in chains, lay pressed into the ground, unable to fly.

Useless.

All of her thoughts and secrets rose into a funnel that was the Yamanaka. Her childhood.

_A tiny girl with pink hair sat on the ground, trying to hold back tears. "Aw, hey what's wrong?" _

_The small girl blinked and looked up, to see a slightly taller girl with a long blonde ponytail. She was about her age, but a little older and taller. She wore purple and black and had a pair of silver bracelets around her arms that the small girl was nearly instantly jealous of. _

_"N-nothin..." The pink haired, smaller girl replied, wiping her eyes in a hasty effort to rid them of tears. _

_"They were making fun of you again, weren't they? Hey come on, what's your name?" The blonde girl asked kindly._

_"S-Sakura." The smaller girl stuttered. "Th-they were making fun of.. of my forehead."_

_The pony-tailed girl's eyes brightened with a smile, and laughter lit her eyes._

_Sakura instantly glared and turned away, rage seething through her. Betrayed. Yet another person to laugh at her. Yet another person to pick on her._

_"Oh come on! My name's Ino!" The girl injected, apparently unaware of the rage in Sakura's tiny physique. "Here! I'll show you what to do whenever they make fun of you!" _

_Sakura was left blinking, her rage forgotten as the other girl lifted her hand and began dragging her away at breakneck speeds. Who was this girl?_

Suddenly Sakura came back to herself, filled with the unusual juxtaposition of living through her smaller self's eyes. Instant fury lit them. "Th-that memory was private!" She screamed at the man standing above her.

The man smiled. "That _would_ be how you met my daughter... I always knew it was something silly like that."

Sakura growled. "This is wrong! Y-Yamanaka-san. Please leave. I... haven't I proven I'm no danger? This nonsense about a demon... maybe it was just a coincidence."

The Yamanaka shook his head. "You said yourself, you thought something was wrong. Would you rather someone else do this? That seal is no joke, Sakura. Konoha can't take chances. If I don't do this you will be subjected to far more painful forms of memory manipulation by clans that aren't known for leaving their captives sane. Until some evidence presents itself, you have no choice."

"B-but you can't just hunt through my private memories like that! It's... it's not!" She flushed, embarrassed, and also worried. Her early memories were the same as those she remembered from when she'd been a jounin. A broken friendship with Ino. A crush on the badboy. An obsession with her hair.

But when he got beyond that. When he reached the Wave mission... a wave mission in which Zabuza died killing Gatou and Kakashi killed Haku, there would be no more hiding. When he reached a Chunin Exam that had yet to happen. A failed invasion... there would be no hiding.

_Kyuubi. You have to get him out!_

As always, there was no response. It seemed she could only communicate with the Kyuubi while unconscious. Even here it seemed. She could only hope her message got through.

Without warning she was pulled into another memory.

_"Ino! That's just silly!" A young girl of the age of ten or so spoke with a tinge of irritation on the edge of her tongue. "You look stupid!" _

_"I do not!" Cried a slightly older Ino Yamanaka. Her hair was literally _filled_ with flowers, and a pink haired Sakura felt like the girl looked just one chromosome shy of a tree. A particularly colorful tree. _

_"You look completely dumb! How can you even see through all that! No boy would ever like that mess!" She asked, and her thoughts followed the same line. It made no sense that the girl hadn't yet run into a wall with all of those plants in her hair. _  
><em><br>"I look like a princess and you know it! You're just jealous!" The blond retorted._

_An eight year old Sakura Haruno didn't consider herself jealous. No, she was _sensible! _Her mother would be proud that she felt absolutely no jealousy whatsoever when she replied: "Ino you look _completely-!"

_The door to Ino's bedroom suddenly opened, and Sakura's berating speech guttered and died as she looked up to find Ino's father standing in the door way. _

_She blushed and looked away, embarrassed. Though still the thought crossed her mind. "Ino's Dad is so cool! And handsome. I wish my daddy were as-!" _

The memory sharply guttered and died leaving Sakura dazed and embarrassed. She hadn't even _remembered_ that!

She looked up at the man who was now staring down at her, a wry grin on his face.

_"What!" _Hissed the pinkette, her face doing its level best to imitate a strawberry.

"Nothing." He replied his tone filled with humor. "Erm.. Thank you."

"I'll kill you!" She screamed raging weakly as she fought to break the chains holding her fairy form from beating the ever-living shit out of her friend's father. She tried to struggle, to force her memories to remain hidden and stay the tiny, ineligible blades of grass they always were. To plead with her thoughts and memories and keep them from showing themselves, one at a time. They paid her no heed.

She'd been able to break Ino's hold on her in the chunin exams so long ago. There was only one difference. Ino had _nothing_on her father. Sakura's struggles were so feeble that he probably didn't even notice she'd tried.

She felt the beginning of a descent into another memory and prepared to take on the thoughts of a younger version of herself once more. But it wasn't to be.

A shadow crept over them both. Inoichi stopped his reading of her memories and turned. Black and Red. The beast's paw landed with the sound of an earthquake, and a sharp spike of pain suddenly ruptured through Sakura's mind, as the great claw gouged a trench in her mindscape the size of a house.

She stared at the miles and miles of endless field. Small memories. Each blade just a single word, but when read together they created the contents of all her life. And she stared at the Kyuubi as it stood over them, nesting within, his colossal body making her field filled with twenty _years_ of memories, seem a mere pen. His tails scraped the sky, and each step left craters.

Where it had come from. How it had appeared without being noticed, Sakura couldn't ever imagine.

The Yamanaka darted faster than Sakura's untrained eyes could follow, dodging the crushing paw of Kyuubi as it impacted in the spot the man had been standing, raking the ground with dirt and broken grass and sending her mind into spasming pain.

"_The monkeylette _is _mine_!" The snarl seemed to come from everywhere. Sakura's mind rung with the words and she moaned in pain as the reverberated in her head, like someone yelling right in her ear. She stared at the beast in awe. It was one thing to see him curled up and lounging. It was quite another to see his tails pointed for attack, standing taller than any building could reach. To his credit, Yamanaka didn't cringe. Sakura, though, shivered at the possessiveness in Kyuubi's tone. Had she gotten more than she'd bargained for?

"Kyuubi no Kitsune!" Inoichi shouted in the loudest voice Sakura had ever heard him use. "Why are you here!"

"_Foolish human! _You _were the ones who placed me in this vessel! And now you question _me!" The Kyuubi boomed. Sakura shivered huddling close to the ground and gazing into memories. The Kyuubi's voice screamed in her ears and covering them did nothing to stop their tirade through her mind.

"This is not the boy you were placed in!" Inoichi shouted. "This girl is innocent."

"The-the Ninetails!" Sakura shouted in shock, in an effort to remain in character. The awe of just seeing the demon at its full size was enough to evoke shock. Even her conversation with him in the darkness of the seal hadn't prepared her for the majesty of the being she contained within her. "The Demon Fox! Wh-why? Why is he in my mind!"

_"Hkee...!" _The Kyuubi seemed to laugh as his great head lowered down to the small fairy laying chained amidst her memories. "_Monkeylette... You stole my energy. Stole the ambient power from the blonde gaki and you didn't even know! You capture me, imprison me, and then make a marvelous den for me to enjoy!" _

Inoichi suddenly stood over her, protectively, his entire body smaller than the great eye hovering feet above him. "You will not harm her, wretch."

_"Haa!" _The demon screamed, and one of his tails whipped, scouring a trench into one of the mountains that enclosed the valley they stood in. The mountain, seemingly severed, crumbled and fell in a great avalanche of toppling Earth. But within moments the mountain began to rebuild itself, the fallen earth rolling back up to fill the space and the toppled mountain, reforming its bare peak.

The reaction was immediate. Sakura's whole body suddenly went rigid. As the mountain tumbled and regrew in the distance, Sakura began to scream.

"Sakura!" The blonde yelled in worry as he knelt down next to the fairy.

The Kyuubi's head snapped back to the ground, its great snout coming within inches of the Yamanaka. "_I assure you human, if I could harm the monkeylette more than this, she would be dead, and I would be free!" _

Inoichi had stood his ground. Speaking with a demon whose mouth was literally large enough to make him a small snack hadn't yet seemed to intimidate him. But the jaw, the acrid breath and the threat, along with the Kyuubi's blazing, rage filled eyes, caused him to finally take a step back.

_"I... hunger..." _

"Yamanaka-san. Go!" Sakura screamed suddenly, spiking pain still lancing through her mind. "I... I think I'm protected, but you're not safe here!"

The older man turned down to look at her, panic filling his grave eyes. "I can't just leave you like this!"

The Kyuubi's jaw opened wide. A dark maw that could drink oceans, and snapped. Inoichi dodged the line of sickeningly sharp teeth, barely, rolling back to Sakura's left and out of harm's reach. For the moment...

"Inoichi! You have to go!"

"I won't!" The stubborn man responded angrily. "This is not right! The Kyuubi was not sealed in you!"

"Gah!" Sakura shouted flexing, stretching the power of her mind and exerting all her years of life onto the force of the Yamanaka's chains. One of them snapped, the sound of broken metal ringing across the field, even as the Kyuubi readied itself for another lunge. "I don't care who it was sealed in! It's in me now, so we just have to deal! You won't be doing anything if you're _dead!_"

"I _won't_ leave you, Ano-chan!" The man screamed. "I won't let you die!"

"Idiot!" She shouted. Again the pinkette strained. The other chain snapped and Sakura moved like lightning. This was _her_ mind. No one else's. The Yamanaka bloodline allowed temporary access. But _she _controlled.

Flying, hovering in midair, Sakura Haruno placed herself between the Demon and the blonde, and put forth her palm. The Kyuubi's nose flattened against a giant hexagonal barrier seemingly crafted of the wind. The force of impact sent a shattering wave across the plain, and the grass of her memories fell outward in a ring, blasting even the Yamanaka off his feet.

No longer a fairy, Sakura grew to her true age. Ether surrounded her in a mystic glow, and her wingspan, once the size of a hand, now stretched a full fourteen feet of white feathered cushion. Angelic, dressed in glistening golden silk, she turned to the Ninja invading her mind. "Go. Inoichi." She commanded. Her voice wizened and aged.

"S-Sakura?" He asked, warily.

"I will not ask again. The Kyuubi is no danger. I can contain him, but you _must_go!" Even as she spoke the Kyuubi shook itself from the impact and bared its endless teeth at her from the other side of the mystic barrier. Again, it rammed, and again it was turned away. This time, Sakura's body shook at the impact, and the grass upon the Plain of Memories flattened to the ground once more.

The man gave her one look, still shocked at her sudden and unprecedented change in age. But finally, _finally_, he nodded.

Like that, he was gone.

Sakura lingered in the field of her mind, staring for a moment at the spot Inoichi had stood upon as she floated to the ground.

The Kyuubi sat on its haunches, like some giant dog. Without warning it, lay down across the field, its body flattening half the valley. Sakura winced as a spike, not unlike a headache jolted through her mind. Not terribly painful. Just annoying.

"Did you _have _to slice the mountain? That hurt like a bitch!" She screamed at the giant.

The Kyuubi grinned, and a moment later Sakura's glare faded and she joined him. "You know, you're a pretty good actor. I was almost afraid you were gonna eat him for a second."

Kyuubi's large head turned sideways slightly. _"Who said I wasn't?"_

With that, the Plain of Memories evaporated to the sweet darkness of dreams.

* * *

><p>"She definitely has the Kyuubi in her. It said she stole his energy. Perhaps with that possible bloodline you briefed me about. It seemed that he couldn't break out any more than he can from the Yondaime's seal. It still holds his soul." The Yamanaka told Sarutobi in a grim tone.<p>

"The Ninetails... branching out from Naruto. It's a horrifying thought." Sarutobi replied grimly, his finger stroking his beard. "But it could be a fluke. Naruto himself seems entirely unaware."

"I don't think the Kyuubi is a danger. Sakura... she is special. I think she can hold him." Inoichi said plainly. "She... displayed strength of mind such that I have never seen in all my years. It was not the Kyuubi that broke my technique. It was her."

The Hokage's eyes widened a fraction. "I will trust your judgment. The seal, though it seems to imply the Kyuubi is not imprisoned within her, seems to still be doing its job. And if all goes well, Konoha may have just gained another Jinchuuriki."

"If... If I am wrong, Sandaime?" The blonde shinobi asked worriedly.

The old man turned to stare down the Yamanaka as he bent down and lifted the comatose girl himself, cradling her in his arms. "Then let us hope to god we have another Yondaime hidden in our midst."

Inoichi Yamanaka shivered.

* * *

><p>"Sakura Haruno." The way her name was pronounced seemed dark and foreboding when used with that voice. She'd never had reason to fear the Hokage before but at the moment she did. He was a god among Shinobi, never mind that she herself had defeated opponents that could be considered stronger. He could destroy her now and that would be the end of it.<p>

Funny. She'd come here for a better life, and now she might end up spending the rest of it in a cell. The Hokage knew about the Kyuubi. That much was certain. But did he believe the Kyuubi was spreading its influence through Naruto? Or did he believe she had accidentally _stolen_ the Kyuubi and his seal with her Bloodline?

Both were equally improbable, but her floundering knowledge of seals left her clueless as to which seemed more unlikely. If it was the former, then she, and probably Naruto, would most likely be locked up for the rest of their days.

_I thought you kicked ass! What good are all your skills if you get us jailed for the rest of our lives! _Shannaro-chan exclaimed in the back of her mind. _You sound like a terrified little girl. Maybe you still need me after all!_

The voice irritated her, but most irritating part was she might be right. Despite her memories as a jounin, she had never felt as small as she did right now. The Hokage looked tall and menacing; his office, brightly lit and filled to the brim with unattended papers, was somehow foreboding.

As a Jounin, she was untouchable. Half of Konoha wouldn't have been able to stop her. But she _wasn't_ that Jounin. She was a genin still awestruck by the power of adults around her. The memories, real as they were, might as well have been dreams for all the _true _power they gave her.

And so she was stuck. Small. Afraid. And strangely comforted by the small voice cheering and booing her actions inside her head.

_Knew you still needed me. _

"Sakura. You are about to be informed of an S-class secret. The penalty for revealing this secret to those who do not know is death." The Hokage intoned gravely, his hands behind his back.

Sakura gulped.

"Children under the age of fifteen should have no knowledge of this secret. Any ninja with S-Class Security Clearance will know. Any civilian above the age of eighteen already knows. But for the most part, this secret has been kept from the children. All but one.

Sakura itched to ask. To find the answers even her older memories couldn't supply her with. Why? Why the secrecy? But she knew answers would come in time. She was patient.

"Naruto Uzumaki is the container of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The strongest of the Bijuu." The Hokage bluntly stated.

Sakura blinked. "Why? Why all the secrecy?" She asked.

She noted the Hokage's tense posture suddenly loosen with her reply. "The secret was kept to try and give Naruto a normal childhood. The adults still hated him though. They fear he and the Kyuubi are one in the same. That it is only a matter of time before Naruto unleashes the demon that slayed their families twelve years ago."

Sakura remained silent, thinking. It made sense she supposed but there was a rather large flaw in it. Such a secret simply couldn't remain so. It was too big. If all of those people already knew about Naruto's seal then it seemed implausible that everyone kept it. Surely _someone_ had a loose tongue. Then again, she hadn't found out until a few short days ago. "Still doesn't seem like it should be that big of a deal. Naruto is Naruto. Frankly the guy couldn't scare a blue-jay let alone an entire village."

The Hokage quirked an eyebrow. "You have a very progressive view on him Sakura-san. All previous knowledge indicated that you hated your teammate. Now it seems he has foisted his own curse upon you. You are certain this won't cause any resentment between you?"

Sakura's eyes developed a slight tick of agitation. "With all respect Hokage-sama, there's a vast canyon between hate and can't stand. He's annoying, and I'd rather spend my day nearly anywhere but with him... but..."

Her mind travelled back to the Chunin exams she'd been through so long ago. The battle with Gaara. "Even so," She continued. "There aren't many people I'd rather have at my back. He's an unpredictable bastard."

The Hokage grinned. "That he is..."

"Besides, if my bloodline is what took Kyuubi's chakra then it's my fault for using it on him in the first place. So I suppose this explains how I got the seal. My weird sap chakra thing stole Naruto's Chakra... and stole the Kyuubi from him as well?" She asked, changing the subject away from Naruto and back to the thing currently eating at her soul.

"We believe so. And while it seems the Kyuubi was able to alter the seal in the transition, the original seal upon Naruto is keeping him in check. Our best guess is that he is still imprisoned, perhaps even partially in the both of you. His prison has just grown... _roomy_ with you." The Hokage told her, his voice treading back on gloom.

"So... am I free to go?" She asked as politely as she could without sounding too eager. She feared that she failed quite avidly in that department.

"You may." The Hokage replied. "But I will be calling an expert to examine your seals more closely in the coming months. Perhaps he can help make the seal upon you more of safeguard than it currently is."

She nodded. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. I assure you. Kyuubi won't escape. I... I can hold him. Thank you for trusting me."

The Hokage sighed as he turned his eyes back to his desk, but Sakura could hardly sympathize with his grim mood. Was the room suddenly lighter? The room suddenly seemed strangely lighter. She wasn't going to be imprisoned for the next decade. Oh yeah. Life was good.

"I sincerely hope I don't regret my choice this day. Two Jinchuuriki of the same Bijuu. Pretentious fox..." The Hokage mumbled as he waved her away.

Sakura managed to keep the composure of a jounin until she left the room. A stately walk and bow accompanied her exit, and she bet even the Hokage was impressed with her level of decorum.

Only after she left the room and stood safely on the staircase down the building did she begin to jump around with all the excited joy her youthful form demanded. She was free, and she was safe! And no one knew her secret.

Finally... time to start changing things!

* * *

><p>Sarutobi tipped his Hokage hat slightly to move it out of his way. He had some grim business to deal with. The strength of Konoha was paramount. Sakura Haruno, a relatively non-descript ninja by all accounts, had produced a bloodline that could stop the Legendary Chidori, and simultaneously halt the advance of an S rank missing nin.<p>

Still further, Sakura Haruno's bloodline appeared capable of _stealing_ Jinchuuriki.

Never had he heard of such a bloodline.

But he knew for a fact that Sakura had been born here, and both parents were alive, neither yet in their thirties.

He appeared in the office for torture and interrogation with a relatively easy shunshin, and was happy to hear the sound of a tirade as he set his eyes on a tall man with hair so red it was nearly pink.

"I swear to god, anbu or not, if you don't tell me why my daughter is in T&I I will kill you." The man's dark eyes were a sharp contrast to his unbearably silly hair. Tall and fair of skin, the man was not one people would ever expect to be intimidated by.

Currently however, Kaija Haruno was staring down an increasingly nervous anbu with a gaze that only an enraged parent was capable of. Kaija was very slow to anger. In fact, the Hokage didn't think he'd ever seen the man quite so angry. He also was a rather well respected citizen. He was highly aware of the ninjas of the village and he was one of the premier contractors between prospective long term clients. As such he had _many_ connections. It was not surprising that he had found out his daughter had been imprisoned. What _was _surprising was that he seemed to be capable of intimidating anbu.

"Kaija-san, there will be no need for that." The Hokage interrupted the other man's hateful glares. The strawberry-haired man jumped a bit, but he did not flinch when he turned to face the Hokage.

Not for the first time, Sarutobi was amazed by the sheer strength of will an endangered loved one could produce. Wise men feared several things, and one was always a parent's wrath. The man's glare returned. He, like all citizens, feared ninja, but the man's attitude only confirmed the Hokage's suspicion. "What the hell have you done to my daughter?" His eyes were narrow, and if he feared the death he knew the Hokage could deliver without a moment's thought, he did not show it.

"Your daughter has just left my office. She is no longer being held here. I do have some rather pressing matters to discuss with you, however." The Hokage intoned briefly, as he gestured to the door. "Come. Walk with me."

The man let go of the anbu's throat roughly and walked to the Hokage. "I swear if she's hurt..."

"I assure you, she is just fine. I'm sure you will find her relatively quickly if you return home." The Sandaime said with an easy tone.

The man nodded as if that were all, and began to walk out the door. The Hokage caught his shoulder.

Kaija stiffened, but appeared unafraid when he met the Hokage's eyes once more. "You're daughter, despite relatively low scores in practical field work in the academy has proved to be the bearer of an incredible bloodline."

The pink-haired man raised an eyebrow. "_And?" _

Not terribly subtle for a contractor.

"You lied when you gained citizenship here, fourteen years ago Kaija. You are from a ninja family." The Hokage's tone was grave. He didn't wait for an answer, though, and his tone brightened in an instant. "Well. There is a simple way to repair this. Three days from now, you will be signing for the anbu training program. If fourteen years isn't enough to prove loyalty then I don't know what is. But talent like this will not go unwasted. Go home. Get some rest. I will see you in my office tomorrow morning."

The previously angry man was left sputtering as the Hokage walked away.

The best way to quell a man's irrational anger was to leave him so startled that he didn't know what to think. Then leave with a directive before he could formulate a response.

Sarutobi was quite pleased with himself as he sat down at his desk moments later.

* * *

><p>"Ha!"<p>

"Ha!"

"Ha!"

"Ha!"

Sakura stood silently jabbing a tree for what was somewhere around the nine hundredth time. Her knuckles were on _fire_. Blazing with hatred for her and the punishment she was running them through she refused to stop her ceaseless battering.

A day or two had passed since she'd been freed from the Torture and Interrogation Department, and except for a few missions, she'd pretty much avoided everyone in favor of near constant training.

At first she had worried about herself. There was a large difference in training oneself to be better and maintaining. Sakura had been at the top of the Bingo book for nearly three years, and intense self improvement training was something that she had not been looking forward to. These past few years she'd done her workouts, done daily and intense sparring with the Hokage and other high level ninja like Neji and Kurenai.

But training to improve herself? Honestly until she'd met Naruto again she'd thought she was among the top. It just didn't matter anymore.

Coming back here and being practically useless again hurt though. At first she'd believed her laziness would prevail and she'd probably never attain the greatness she'd once had. Didn't matter. Sakura Haruno wasn't all that important in the grand scheme of things. Yes, she had beaten Orochimaru and Itachi but that didn't mean Konoha didn't have plenty others who could do the same.

Kurenai surprisingly became near Kage-Level, defeatable nearly exclusively by the Hokage.

But it was with a terrified continence that Sakura knew the chunin exams were merely months away. And she swore she wouldn't let Orochimaru place his sick seal on Sasuke. Whether the bastard deserved it or not. He hadn't done the things he had in the future yet. He was not yet the asshole he had the potential to be.

So she would spare him from becoming Orochimaru's new vessel, just as Naruto had. But she would do it faster. And for that, she had to train.

"Ha!"

"Ha!"

"Ha!"

Each breath was accompanied by the sharp crack of her fist and slowly, surely breaking wood.

The moon shone through a dense treecover of training ground seventeen. This ground had become her favorite over the years and she rarely deviated from it. It had a small pond for waterwalking. A plethora of trees, and it was unbelievably good for being sneaky.

"Sakura-chan."

"GAH!" The pinkette exclaimed, her punch fully missing the tree sending her sprawling, face first into the shredded bark. She immediately decided to change her training ground to a more open one.

"S-Sorry." The blond-haired shinobi answered nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

Still catching her breath, the ex jounin sighed in relief. "N-Naruto. What's up?"

Naruto had sweat drops trailing down his cheeks, and she couldn't help but notice his gaze lingering slowly on her breasts. "Sh-shut up! I don't sweat very often!" She intoned covering what little she had in the boob area.

"N-no. I... I came to ask you. When you came back, after you'd run away. I... I saw." He said slowly. "I saw that mark on your chest."

She gulped and backed up into the tree. "Y-yeah."

"Do you... do you already know about, uhm. About me?" He asked, trying not to sound too awkward and failing miserably.

She slid down the side of the tree sitting on the ground. "Yeah. I know, Naruto."

The moonlight shown on their two faces. The hour was late, and they were both slated to be together on missions tomorrow. Wind swept the pinkette's hair slowly.

"I just... wanted to know. You don't hate me, do you?" He asked plainly.

At this Sakura smiled. Oh foolish foolish Naruto. "Baka. I could never hate you. You're my teammate. And especially not for the same problem I have." She replied glumly. "Hell, I might even like you Naruto."

The blonde grinned. "Knew I'd get to you eventually. Believe it!"

Sakura giggled as the blonde sat down next to her. Then her expression immediately changed horrified. Her eyes bored into the blonde. "Tell Sasuke and I'll kill you."

Naruto's own eyes narrowed. "What the hell do you see in that bastard anyway?" He spat, suddenly angry. "Sakura-chan... He's no good for you!"

_Baaaka! Sasuke-kun is awesome! Shannaro!_

Sakura's eyes became half lidded, staring down Shannaro-chan mentally while trying to come up with a proper response to Naruto. In this, she failed. Her split attention, and probably a small and suddenly developing crush on Naruto caused her to reply how she did. "He does have a bit of a stick up his ass doesn't he?"

She gasped almost instantly and clapped her hands over her mouth. For a moment Naruto sat slack-jawed about to verbally ream the Uchiha once again. Then, he burst into laughter.

Behind her wide eyes, Sakura held a light grin.

"Come on! Let's spar! That tree is getting sick of you punching it anyway." The blonde burst suddenly bouncing a good ten feet away and dropping into an academy level taijutsu stance.

Sakura cocked an eyebrow, and then looked back to the tree. The fact that it was still standing taunted her, a stalwart testament to her weakness. She could've leveled a forest in minutes back then...

"Alright, but get ready. I've got some new tricks up my sleeve!" She exclaimed, standing up to join him.

"Heh. Okay! If I win I get to date you, Sakura-chan!" Naruto countered excitedly as he fell into his classic seal and a burst of ten clones exploded around her.

Sakura grinned. Her own fingers formed the Ram Seal, and Naruto's eyes widened. "Like you could ever beat me, Naruto! Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!"

The fight between clones was on.

The next day, Sakura tasted ramen, and the world changed forever.

* * *

><p>"Hokage-sama, I beg you! This is madness!" Shizune the Hokage's first medic told her leader in a horrified manner. "You can't be seriously considering this! It is akin to Necromancy!"<p>

The Hokage turned cold, hard eyes upon his second in command.

"If I die, You're in charge." The Hokage stamped a paper with his own seal, and turned to her again. "My affairs are in order."

"The chakra levels required for such a summoning are _beyond_comprehension! You will die! Please, Hokage-sama!" Shizune begged. To no avail.

The Hokage knelt on the floor, and began to chant. The summoning contract for ravens lay opened on the floor below him. Contracts were a thing of the soul. When that soul passed on, the name left the contract. But the only other person he'd allowed to sign the contract had been the one who had killed his brother. Her name lay emblazoned in blood, still shining and strong.

It was all the proof he needed.

Sakura Haruno was alive.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>Finally I give you originality. Hope it was worth the wait. Next chapters are gonna be fun!

Sidenote: I'm irritated by just how many of you guessed _exactly_ what that medic nin found. Frankly, grr.

As to Sakura's father. This is the first deviation from cannon I've truly thrown. Even so, Sakura's father will not play much of a major role in this story. Quite frankly, it just makes sense. How many times does some young whipper-snapper pop out a bloodline? But everyone always seems to think "BLOODLINE! LETS GET HER/HIM SOME KIDS!" And never thinks, "Hey, doesn't that kid have parents that are like, in their late 20s? Why aren't we using them?"

I hope you all enjoyed, and I can't wait to continue. The plot is finally starting to get to the epic.

Till Next!  
>MB<p> 


	6. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: **Shit Not Mine

**Chapter Five**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The wind blew harshly sweeping up Sakura's short skirt just a bit. Unlike the young girl she looked to be, she ignored it, smoothing it out with an absent rub of her fingers, uncaring as to the watchers who might've noticed. Trees were sweeping and gloriously green, their leaves decorating the sides of the many many buildings filling Konoha's bustling streets.

The city seemed alive with people; the rooftops were traveled as often as the roads, and the roads were full to the brim. Each various training ground produced the glourious sounds of training and just like the city, Sakura Haruno felt _wonderful. _

There was something about being young that made Konoha seem like a vast and endless playground for her to trample upon, and she loved it.

Kyuubi energized her. She remembered a time not so very long ago where she'd been utterly bored with life. Romance seemed dull, training seemed worthless, and even battle with S-Ranked fighters had no longer held appeal for the aged jounin.

Now... now things were different.

"_Saaaasuke!_ Will you go on a date with me!" She screamed in the most girly voice she could muster. She acted as cute as she could as well, but it failed to work with various scrapes and bruises covering her body from the intense workout and sparring the three of them had just endured.

"Che." The Uchiha responded in kind, irritated with her as always. Unlike how she would've acted when she truly was twelve, _this _Sakura didn't care in the least.

"Naruto, Sasuke's being an ass. Take me for ramen again?" She asked the blonde genin with a slight cock of her head and was pleased to note the pleasant flush trailing straight up Naruto's boyish cheeks. His expression changed rather quickly though, developing an apprehensive disposition and she felt a slight tinge of guilt. Poor shmuck really was poor.

"My treat Naruto! Thanks for being so good to me these past few days. You're a real friend." The girl chimed in, noting to her distinct delight that the words both produced an instant grin from the blonde, and had also gotten to Sasuke. The Uchiha was trying to look like he'd been ignoring them, but his cheek had the subtlest of downward slants. Yeap. He was pissed.

Epic.

Naruto had treated her to Ramen three times since she'd thrown their late night battle. Goofball that he was, Naruto's idea of a date of course meant Ichiraku's Ramen. At first, the idea had repulsed her a bit. A date, even with Naruto, should've been at least a _bit _more formal.

Then she'd tried the Ramen. Capital R, Ramen. Chocolate had fucking _nothing _on Ramen.

Somehow the noodly crap tasted exactly the same. And yet that same taste, once barely tolerable, had become the centerpiece of Sakura's culinary world. The word made stars light in her eyes, and she found herself catching her breath whenever she heard it in casual conversation. Had she been a bit older she was pretty sure the scent of freshly cooked ramen could've given her an orgasm.

She was actually a bit worried about that one, because at the rate she was going there was a dreadfully good chance that she would actually _have _one in a few years.

There could be no doubt. Ramen was god's gift to mankind. Why, O why, had she spent so much of her life without ever realizing...?

The day after she and Naruto's first date she'd practically begged her teammate to take her again. Two days later and the near wet-dream level infatuation she had with the noodly broth was no closer to fading then it had been after that first bite.

"Hell yea! Free ramen!" The blonde exclaimed, doing a little dance to signify his joy. "You're the best, Sakura-chan!"

At that the boy wrapped a friendly arm around her and she leaned casually into it, all while cackling madly at the tick forming on Sasuke's brow. Not to mention the prospect of ramen in her near future. Yes. Youth, joy, and- dare she think it?- love, were truly in the air.

That was about the moment she began noticing stares.

They weren't regular, and she didn't even understand what it was at first. Her skin began to crawl, as she felt nearly imperceptibly small levels of killing intent coming in violently from all directions.

Naruto didn't even notice. Poor kid...

Sakura _listened._ Chunin were trained later in their courses to be able to catch phrases from a crowd that might indicate a hidden enemy or hostile intent. It was not hard to pick out the whispers of conversations citizens thought they were being quiet enough to hide.

"_Twisted... girl's parents must've been mental!"  
>"Someone should tell her..."<em>

"_Screw the Hokage law. That isn't right!"_

"_Hasn't she been warned?"_

"_There's nothing we can do." _

"_...dangerous..."_

"_Demon."_

The weirdest part about it was that Naruto had unnaturally good ears. It was nearly _probable_ that he could hear their every word. And of course, the boy kept smiling, his arm gloriously cast over her shoulder in a position of amiable friendship. Nothing more. Naruto bore a shield of idealism that no glares or hatred could penetrate. It was awe inspiring. And... at the same time, sad. So very, very sad.

"Hey, Naruto. Don't worry, about them. I don't care, ya' know..." She whispered up to him, too low for Sasuke to hear.

He met her eyes and nodded. "Thanks... it means alot, Sakura-chan." Despite his words, he slipped his arm off her, and Sakura nearly instantly felt a _lift_ in the air. Citizens and their killing intent lifted from the blonde as he conformed to their unworded command. _"Let Her Go." _

They wouldn't even let him_ try. _Had she ever felt such universal hatred? The glares hadn't _really_ even stopped. Merely faded back to their normal level, which even Sakura had become used to by now.

The glares picked up again a moment later when she firmly grasped the boy's hand. Even after Sasuke left the two alone, clearly angered by Sakura's sudden switch in affection, she refused to let go. Not until they reached their precious Ramen shop, did Sakura's hand budge.

* * *

><p>Hinata Hyuuga was in a mood that <em>very<em> few people had ever seen her in. The girl stood in training ground eight, with two opponents surrounding her.

"Come on!" She hissed. Her teeth curled in a rictus snarl and she spun at him fingers prepped to close tenketsu that she never normally would've dared attempt. Kiba Inuzuka was left floundering as he practically dove to the right.

"Er... Hinata?" Kiba questioned as he rolled to his feet without stopping. He was growing steadily worried about his friend and teammate. Over the past several days the girl had gone from her usual shy and timid self, to irritated, to angry, to full on rage fest. He and the rest of his team had never before seen the girl in such a fury, and all of them were at a loss as to what could possibly have caused such a change in the usually calm girl's demeanor.

"_What?" _She hissed, dropping her fighting stance and staring the boy down. "Why did you stop!"

Unexpectedly, she leaped, flipping over a ghostly back attack from Shino as he dived down from the trees above. Landing behind the surprised bug user, she immediately slammed her right foot into Shino's undefended side and proceeded to jab his lower back, harshly closing his _"Komon" _tenketsu.

The boy doubled over, almost instantly.

"Y-yield." He stuttered, to Kiba's shock. Never before in their training had Shino Aburame let loose anything that indicated he felt pain. That pressure point had to hurt like _hell. _

"Hinata. What the hell is wrong with you lately?" Kiba asked as he ran to his fallen teammate.

"Nothing." The girl replied. "I just want to get stronger."

Kiba sniffed. "Well then lets up the game. Two on one. You in Shino?" He asked the fallen bug user across the field.

Shino, now unsteadily rising from his injury, turned to glare at the Hyuga girl. "My bugs are removing her tenketsu block as we speak. I will be ready in a moment."

Kiba sniffed. "Guess its just me then. Alright Hinata. I don't know what you've got shoved up your ass but its time to unlodge it!"

Not far from them, Kurenai blanched at the language but did not interupt. It seemed that something had finally, _finally_, brought the Hyuga out of her shyness. What that was, she had no idea. But it was definitely a good thing.

Kiba gave the girl no time to ready herself. _"Gatsuuga!" _The boy screamed, his whirlwind drill instantly barrelling down upon her.

Instead of dodging, the Hyuga faced the human tornado head on. Kiba's attack drilled towards her but she refused to bend. Her white eyes strained hard, the blood vessels churning.

_'I will grow stronger. I can do this!' _She hissed to herself, watching the nearly untraceable whirl of Kiba's arms.

She began to spin...

Kurenai's eyes widened as he witnessed the girl begin an intricate dance. Chakra spilled from her body in an array of blue lightning lancing about her as she seemed to dance, uncaring of the Inuzuka's ultimate attack barreling down upon him.

_She can't possibly be using... _

"_Kaiten!" _She screamed, power suddenly flooding the field.

Kiba halted seemingly in mid air and hung suspended for half a second, like a screw being drilled into a diamond. For a moment her eyes met his. White eyes, somehow filled with anger even without pupils.

Then Kiba flew. He rocketed away from Hinata like a bullet and slammed back first into a tree. Toppling to the his knees, he struggled to rise. The pain in his back nearly unbearable. "H-how the hell did you..."

The girl stopped her spin, her anger still unquenched. Looking up, Kiba realized the girl was breathing heavily. So. That attack took a lot out of her. He could probably use that.

Hinata's eyes narrowed as the air around her was suddenly flooded with Kikai bugs. Shino had recovered.

The girl darted away, escaping the deluge of insects with swift feet as she hopped along treetops as if she'd been doing so all her life. She didn't have the luxury of a large battleground so she was forced to circle the outer edges of training ground eight. Escaping, breathing heavily, and her Chakra being slowly dained, as well as the fact that Shino had concealed himself somewhere, gave Kiba the confidence to raise himself and try again.

"A lucky counter, Hinata!" He growled, chasing after her. He slipped a bit on his first jump, still growing used to battling on the sides and branches of trees, but he found his footing after another leap. He found that it grew easier if he didn't think about it and just let it happen.

Hinata leapt down to the ground.

Kiba, still a good twenty feet away from her, leaped to follow when he felt a sudden, intense burst of chakra from the small girl.

"Ka!" She exclaimed with a sharp swipe of her fist. A gust of wind, born of her sudden chakraspike sent the mass of bugs following her into a confused frenzy as they were suddenly met with the pressure of the young Hyuga's mini Kaiten.

Kiba landed upon the ground near her and was on her in an instant. Unprepared for the second attack, the girl took a flying punch directly to the face which sent her sprawling back.

Kiba grinned. "How was that?"

The girl gave no answer. She whirled to her feet, sending her leg up in the most aerobic flourish Kiba had ever seen. He was awed slightly by the girl's grace, and only barely managed to raise his arms. He winced as his forearm took the full brunt of the Hyuga's mighty kick, but he held his ground.

Her other foot, coming in for another unbearable attack, he managed to counter, grabbing hold of her ankle.

She lost her balance and toppled to the ground in a heap.

Kiba grinned. He had the upper hand.

It was at that moment that the arm she'd kicked began to feel strangely numb.

"_Shit!" _He cursed, leaping back as the girl wrenched her leg from his grip with ease that wouldn't normally have been possible. "Shino, she closed my arm!" He called into the training ground, knowing his partner would hear him.

Where had all of this skill come from? The girl, who before now had barely even registered as a challenge on Kiba's list of rivals was suddenly crushing him. She'd closed his tenketsu before. But never with her god-damn _foot!_

His right arm and hand were now nearly useless. The girl had used the point of her toe to close one of the main points upon his forearm, effectively shutting down most of the functions and chakra abilities of his hand. And he'd just _let _her do it, not expecting such a precise attack from a kick. He could close his hand into a fist, and maybe use it as a meat shield, but he wouldn't be throwing any heavy punches at the Hyuga for the rest of the day...

...Unless he could get to Shino.

"Disengage." Came the disembodied voice of the bug user, echoing all around. "Use range."

Hinata regained her footing and listened intently, her eyes wildly scanning to try and find her hidden teammate, but she seemed to be unsuccessful.

Quickly discerning that it would be easier to take out the weaker link, the girl came to a terrifying conclusion: Kiba would have to be eliminated before she could concentrate on Shino and his bugs.

This, of course, had Kiba backpeddling.

'_What the hell was I thinking, engaging her head on! God damn my arm hurts!' _The Inuzuka thought, furious with himself. He'd always underestimated his teammate and now he was paying for it in both damage and pride.

The girl charged him and he dodged, wildly wiggling and diving to avoid the girl's lightning quick fingers as they aimed for vulnerable tenketsu. Each jab blurred, only barely missing vital tenketsu on his arms and legs, proving that, even in her rage, at least the girl didn't hate him enough to go for some of the meaner ones on his chest.

"H-hey, Hinata! C-can't we talk about thi-!" The boy's request was interrupted by the impact of her palm on the bottom of his jaw, clearly intended to shut him up. It worked. Kiba backed into a tree, his jaw aching and his arm numb with pain.

The Hyuga stood with both hands held high, ready for a final strike that would surely eliminate Kiba from the competition. He lunged, bring his full weight and larger body to bear on the young Hyuga but the girl cleanly halted his attack with a palm to the chest which knocked the breath from him. He fell back onto his tree, now unable to stop the blow that would've been fatal in a true mission against an enemy.

The sudden sound of a buzzing drill saved him. Hinata turned, her vision giving her just enough warning to discover the attack, but not enough speed to dodge as a blurring screwdriver slammed into her, and Kiba exclaimed in delight. "Akamaru!"

The dog barked a chipper response, looking down at the Hyuga and the skid marks her body had made on the earth. Akamaru's intervention gave Kiba the time time to disengage, and he moved as fast as he could cloaking himself in the confines of the high forest trees. Akamaru also disengaged, while Hinata recuperated on the ground.

As he rose, a tingling sensation in his arm alerted him to the presence of Shino's bugs working to unclog his closed chakra point in the middle of his forearm.

'_God I love you Shino...' _He thought, finally feeling a bit of reassurance.

Hinata was a pushover.

Enraged Hinata though, was an opponent he _never_ wanted to meet on the field.

In testament to his thought, the girl was only dazed for a short moment. She rose, seemingly unaffected by the impact of Akamaru's Gatsuuga, and dashed, not towards him, but towards an indistinct hazy smell that Kiba detected almost immediately upon beginning a scan for Shino. The boy was hiding behind a tree, and being irritatingly conspicuous.

'_Damn... you could surely conceal yourself better than _that!'He grimaced seeing the speeding Hyuga come into range to strike his teammate.

Shino appeared, shedding his disguise moments before the Hyuga's attack, her fingers pointed and dreadful, her expression, hot and angry.

Shino dodged the girl once by leaping up into the trees and suddenly the tide turned. The brown bark of the oak Shino had been hiding near seemed to morph into a cloud of black. Kiba only had a moment to notice the shock on Hinata's face as she was suddenly obscured from view by a swarm of camouflaged bugs. A trap. And a damn good one. The bad disguise had been purposeful, in order to mask the far better henge to camouflage his bugs!

Rather than leave and let his bugs sap the girl's chakra, Shino stayed and engaged her, believing her vision, obscured as it was by his insects would be her downfall.

"Shino! Watch out!" Kiba screamed as he noticed the girl's bug covered form begin to twirl once again. But it was too late.

'_Kaiten! _Ahhh!_"_ The girl exclaimed once again, her technique followed by a scream of pain. Even as the word left her throat, the swarm of bugs was blasted away in all directions. Like tiny bits of shrapnel, they and Shino flew away from Hinata's person, slamming into trees and shrubs surrounding her.

Kiba's eyes followed his teammate and he rushed to catch the flying boy, knowing Shino wouldn't be able to take the hard impact of hitting a tree like he had.

Too late.

The boy slammed into a large oak, and Kiba arrived just in time to note that his ally was out cold.

He turned, and just now noticed the girl, lying on her back, a few feet from where she'd attempted, and apparently failed, to use the Kaiten again.

_'She screwed the technique up.' _Kiba thought. _'Maybe I can win this yet.'_

The girl _crawled _up the side of a tree, using the bark for purchase to drag herself back to her shaky feet. Several trails of blood flowed down the girl's face. Kaiten was apparently a dangerous technique indeed. A closer look revealed that the girl's fingers were each cut open at the tips, droplets of blood spilling onto the forest floor. Worst of all, the girl's Byakugan was no longer active. She'd run out of chakra.

But she _was _still standing.

Kiba moved in for the attack. She hadn't yielded, so the fight wasn't over. Not yet.

_'I can't believe she beat Shino's bugs!'_ Kiba thought, awed by his teammates newfound resolve. The swarm had covered the Aburame's body now, creating a protective healing cocoon. He would probably be awake in a short while, but he would be no more help in this fight.

'_At least he managed to get my arm up again.' _The Inuzuka cheered as he flexed his hand. It was still intensely pained but he could fight full force once again.

"You gonna yield, Hinata?" He called, preparing himself for another attack.

The girl regained her footing, completely abandoning the support the tree and stood, firmly shaking her head.

"Well! You asked for it! Alright Akamaru! Full Gatsuuga!" Kiba called, directing his dog, who had covertly managed to move behind the now severely blinded Hyuga.

A bark echoed in the distance, and Hinata's eyes widened as she realized she'd been surrounded. Her brow furrowed and she withdrew a single Kunai in her left hand, her right was poised to close tenketsu that she could no longer see.

With the blood trailing down beside both her eyes, she looked fucking awesome to the Inuzuka. So much so that he almost felt guilty about his next move. Almost.

He rushed forward.

"Gatsuu-!"

He ran face first into the outstretched palm of his teacher. Instead of barrelling through her though, his head clanged against the red-eyed woman's open palm like a melon against a brick wall. An audible thud erupted through the forest as Kiba bounced off her hand and flopped on the ground a few times before coming to a stop in the dirt face down.

"Ow..." He murmured.

"That's enough for today." Kurenai announced.

Hinata was left blinking.

* * *

><p>It was a short while later when they were all recuperating that Kiba approached his blue haired companion, backed by Shino behind him.<p>

"Hey... Hinata. Whatever's got you so angry... we can help, you know?" Kiba told her softly. Then a bit more bitterly, "And I don't think you need to beat the living piss out of us to get it."

The girl sighed, her anger finally seeming to dissipate a bit. "I know, Kiba-kun. I'm sorry. I just... I need to get stronger. Desperately."

"Well, I'd say you're pretty god-damn strong. You nearly kicked _both _our asses! What the hell was that... _Kaiten?_" He asked, lauding on the praise.

The girl turned to him, eyes heavy, but her breathing had finally slowed to near normal rhythm. "Kaiten. It is a family technique. Today... today is the first time I've ever succeeded at it. But it still isn't nearly what it should be. I am still... weak."

"You are by no means weak, Hinata. You just fought two of your class's best to a standstill. Feel proud, and take what you've gained today home." Came the voice of Kurenai as the woman ghosted out of the Hokage's building to the sidewalk upon which they all stood.

Hinata felt the slightest hint of pride at that. But a depressive wave clouded over as soon as she let pride touch her.

'_I'm losing him.' _The thought was enough to send her back into her angry fit. She quelled the rage that her heart was trying so desperately to engorge in her and returned a sharp, "Thank you, Kurenai-sensei."

Kurenai stuck around for a short while and gave one of her usual motivational speeches but Hinata found it difficult to care. Her whole world was crashing down over the past three days. Her rock. Her hope of happiness. Her true motivation.

...He was slipping through her fingers, and she hadn't even put up a fight.

But it wasn't over, yet. Not by a long shot.

* * *

><p>"So you're giving up." The words came incredulously alongside a brow furrowed in what appeared to be rage.<p>

Sakura Haruno winced. "I... don't think I'd put it that way. But I guess... yeah." She said with finality.

Ino Yamanaka folded her arms and turned away from the pinkette. "Yeah Forehead. Not buying it. What's the catch? You trying to get me to give up on him too?" She hissed peevishly.

Sakura held up her hands in protest. "No catch. I just... decided it was time to grow up. And I suppose I'm not entirely giving up on him. Just... no longer actively pursuing." She shuddered at the thought of dating the Uchiha once more. She didn't think she could take all the rage... the jealousy. It hurt too much.

"So what do you want?" The blonde asked, still clearly unbelieving.

"I... just hope we could be friends again. Maybe... like before." She asked.

The Yamanaka directed a harsh glare at her. Then made a shooing motion with her hands. "Well if you're giving up on him then that's one less thing I have to worry about. Get lost, forehead. I'm busy."

Sakura blinked.

Then, she glared.

This was not the Ino Yamanaka she remembered. Not at all.

Sakura bristled as she turned and walked out of Yamanaka's Flower Shop, gritting her teeth in irritation. Okay. So Ino needed some time to mature. Maybe the Chunin exams would help.

But what was Sakura to do until then?

Truth be told, she was finding herself quite bored. Training with the boys, while fun, didn't allow her the opportunity to cut loose like a good A rank mission. Kakashi was his usual lazy self, taking them on two D ranks per day if they were _lucky. _Sasuke trained like mad as always, but ended up spending most of his time in the Uchiha compound alone. Naruto was fun to be around, but only in small doses. Too much of Naruto and the boy began to grate on her nerves worse than even Kakashi.

She loved the boy, but damn he was annoying. Who knew what he might become when he-!

The world abruptly flashed white.

_The sky was darkened. Wind whipped the grass on the edge of the plain in tandem to the brewing storm's delight. Lightning cracked in the sky and thunder, lighting's tame mouth, roared in fury. Sakura stared forward, eyes locked on the menacing figures of what seemed a thousand black cloaked fighters, and the one man controlling them all._

_Rain pelted her and she felt it trickling down her forehead. She was bloody. Her arm throbbed with the remnents of some sort of poison but she knew Kyuubi was already healing that. Her left foot was a little numb and one of her eyes was nearly swollen shut. But still she was winning. _

'_What is happening?'_

"_Kage-Bunshin No Jutsu!" The voice of an older man echoed from her own lips as she spoke. Horrifyingly, it sounded much like Naruto. "You think more puppets are going to scare _me_ Sasori! My army is endless, and your poisons can't hurt me. What can you do?" _

_Sakura qued in on the enemy fighter even as hundreds of Narutos suddenly appeared and began to engage the puppets in an all out war. Sasori of Wind Country. An S Rank in the Bingo Books. She remembered during the early years of Sasuke's reign as Hokage that he had been found dead. Evidence had uncovered that he had been the one to slay Kazekage._

"_You underestimate me, Naruto. A fatal mistake." The figure who appeared to be a small boy chirped back, seemingly unimpressed by Naruto's overwhelming numbers._

"_I think you underestimate me..." The words came from her lips, but they were dark and laced with venom. "Rasengan!" _

_The word was like a bomb. The battling army of Naruto's very suddenly disengaged and held hands aloft. In each Naruto's hand a ball of glowing blue chakra formed, lighting up the battleground with nearly blinding intensity. _

_But Naruto was not finished. _

_A large cry echoed from the Naruto's as they all launched their individual Rasengan into the air. They met at a central point in the sky, impacting, colliding and somehow bonding to form a massive sphere of whirling dread. _

_Sasori's puppets were not idle. Many of the Naruto clones were cut down as they let their guards down in order to create this fearsome attack. But none were the true Naruto. The ball of light hovered signalling doom for all within its potential radius. _

"_Holy." Naruto echoed lowly. _

_And the ball of whirling blue energy dropped to the earth below. _

_Sakura only had a moment to see Sasori's puppet eye widen. She felt herself give a grin of victory as the rasenbomb exploded below her, consuming all within. All save her. Deep inside, she felt Kyuubi's approval. _

Without warning, Sakura snapped back to herself with alarm.

"Wh-what the hell was that?" She spoke aloud. She rubbed her forehead numbly and found she was leaning against the Yamanaka flower shop's outer wall. "All those kage-bunshin... Naruto? Becomes... _that?" _She thought, amazed.

Her shrewd mind hunted for an answer and quickly came to the only logical conclusion. That memory was one of Naruto's. One of Kyubi's memories of Naruto.

"Hey... forehead. You alright?" The voice of Ino startled Sakura and she jumped at the call. Ino stood in the doorway, her earlier malice forgotten and replaced with concern.

"I'll be alright." Sakura replied dubiously rubbing her head as she grimaced. "Just... had a bad memory is all."

Inwardly Sakura gave a small smile. Perhaps Ino _did _care. Just a little. Perhaps she would get her friend back. Much earlier this time. And no goddamn pox would take her away. Orochimaru's poisons would not be visited upon her friend this time. The snake bastard would not be around to have the chance.

"Well, okay. I'll see you later Sakura-san." Ino replied returning to the house, her care vanishing as she did so. But at least it was a start.

She walked away, her mind puzzling over the events she'd seen. It had been as if she were doing everything Naruto had been. As if _she_ were a seventeen year old boy facing off against Sasori of the Red Sands. One of hidden Wind's most powerful missing ninjas.

"That attack was unbelievable." She intoned. "It could've destroyed Konoha and four miles around in every direction... Naruto?"

Within her, she felt a small bit of warmth, along with a deep welling of sadness. As she walked home, she thought she could just hear the sound of Kyuubi lightly sniffling.

* * *

><p>Sakura trained. She trained hard and long and moreso than she ever had in her previous life. When the boys decided to call it a night, she agreed, went towards home and then turned back to the training grounds with renewed vigor.<p>

Her weakness stung her and began to make her more and more nervous as the Chunin exams began to loom ever nearer. Like some dark cloud hovering over her head the premonition of their battle with Orochimaru in the forest of death that they had only narrowly escaped in her previous life left her waking from nightmares in a cold dread. Her years of experience had given her the skill to kill the old Sannin in her prime, but this youthful body, no matter how much she trained, would not be able to cope with the genius Snake summoner.

Unless...

Unless she could get her teammates to work together, and work _well._ If she could count on them to truely work together in dire straights then maybe they would be able to stop him. With the Kyuubi inside her and her teammates fully backing her they might even be able to _kill _the pedophilic bastard. Naruto was showing more and more talent by the day and a surprisingly more likeable Sasuke was beginning to shape into a half decent ally to have at her back. But talent and likeability weren't going to get them anywhere against the Snake Sannin.

What they needed, was experience. Experience in facing a vastly superior opponent out for their blood. Experience that even Zabuza couldn't provide.

Her two teammates sucked. As they were, if Orochimaru wanted them both dead there wasn't a damn thing they could do to stop it unless they pulled off a miracle. Even then it was unlikely. So Sakura finally decided to do the only thing she could. Give them the vastly superior opponent they needed.

Her.

"You, better than _me? _Dream on, Dobe." The callous words of Sasuke echoed across the clearing were punctuated by the whoosh of projectiles being launched through the air. Sakura sighed as their petty rivalry only confirmed the course of action she'd just decided on.

"I _am_ better than you! Last fight proved it. I knocked you out of the tree fair and square!" The blonde protested as he profiled left in time to dodge Sasuke's barrage of Shuriken. The boy then proceeded to follow his own words racing the speed of sound as he closed the distance between himself and the Genius. A heavy punch was swatted away by Sasuke's deft fingers and then Naruto's follow up kick was stopped dead by the Uchiha's own raised leg.

The parry continued for several more close range Taijutsu exchanges in which Sasuke spent nearly his entire time on the defensive, avoiding Naruto's powerful and wild punches with precision and grace.

"How is dropping forty clones on me _fair!" _The Uchiha bit back as soon as they parted to catch their breath. This time Sasuke recovered first, diving in to engage in up close combat once more. His foot, faster than Naruto was able to dodge or probably even see, snuck in under his ribs and plowed right into the blonde boy's stomach.

Naruto stumbled back, dazed, his eyes comically wide with pain. But it wouldn't be enough. The boy grit his teeth, pushing the pain away as Sasuke slowly retracted his outstretched leg.

"It was thirty!" Naruto exploded childishly, a petulant look crossing his expression as he recovered from the heavy kick. "And you fell off the tree didn't you?

"Well, I'll just have to kick your ass now and make up for it then, won't I?" Sasuke responded.

"Bring it on!" Naruto shouted. "Kage Bunshin!" And Naruto's customary squad of thirty or so copies of himself sprang into existence around them all, spreading out and preparing for yet another heated and nearly useless game of oneupmanship. As this was probably the hundredth repeat of nearly the exact same taunting match between the two, it was Sakura who was left boiling. One boy would goad the other until they were both nearly frothing with rage, and they engaged in unskilled near brawling combat. All the while their skills increased fraction by fraction, when they could be leaping.

'_If only they would work together, they could be the match of any jounin!' _Thought Sakura with a frown.

She had reached her limit. She could no longer deal with the two boys and their eternal pissing match. Over the month since Wave she had eclipsed the boys in every way, right under their noses. And now, it was time to show them. She was going to _force _them to work together, or face the very _real_ threat of her, alone.

Her time spent with the two boys and their endless bickering had given her a strange insight into Kakashi's teaching methods for this trio. Leave them the fuck alone until they grew up. She didn't know how the jounin of Konoha could stand having genin squads. They were so unbearably annoying that it was hard to even think.

And her patience was not so great as it had been once before.

For their own good she was going to beat the shit out of them. And if they happened to stop bickering like little children in the process, well that wouldn't hurt anybody would it?

"You'll never be better than me, Dobe. Not in a year or ten years or twenty, I'll _always_ be stronger than you." Sasuke intoned just before he casually began to decimate the ranks of a squad of bunshin Naruto had sent to attack him.

"Bullshit! I'm gonna be Hokage and when I am you'll have to obey _me!_ Then who'll be the better one, jackass!" Naruto returned. And Sakura's temper broke.

"Will you _both Shut Up!" _She screamed at the top of her lungs, causing the two boys to jump in startled.

She leaned her thoughts directly towards the blonde boy's main form. Using the strange connection that had developed between them and allowed her to teleport from the edge of the world to the middle of Wave country when she'd first arrived, she harnessed her connection to Naruto and teleported directly behind him. He was caught completely off guard as her fist slammed into the back of his head without warning and sent him sprawling towards the ground.

Sasuke was left blinking owlishly in tandem with the many Naruto clones who were just as surprised as the Jinchuuriki had been. Naruto's face planted in the dirt did wonders to sooth Sakura's frayed nerves, and she grinned when the boy twitched.

"Dobe... couldn't even dodge a lousy surprise attack like that." Sasuke chuckled with a grin down at the Naruto's back. Then he met Sakura's eyes.

The girl abruptly covered the training ground in killing intent, and Sasuke froze much the same as he had in the Forest of Death years ago when faced with Orochimaru. As he would if faced with the Snake Sannin yet again.

This time, the Sannin wouldn't know what hit him.

"Sasuke." She spoke softly, her voice a chilling parody of its normal demeanor. "_Shut, up." _

She used the teleportation ability given to her by her trip through time and her connection to Naruto once more, appearing behind one of the boy's clones. The clone jumped in shock and she dispelled it with a swift finger jab. Meanwhile Naruto was rising from his head on collision with the ground, and boy did he look pissed.

Good.

The clone she had ported to was right behind Sasuke, and the sound of Naruto's bunshin alerted the boy to her presence, but her killing intent, still barrelling down on him like a visible fog, kept him nearly immobile. All he managed to do was turn his eyes slowly towards her in horror.

"You think you can beat me... Sasuke?" She asked, her eyes locked on his. "I don't. I don't think you can beat me. I don't think you can beat your brother. I don't think you can beat anybody." Each sentence struck the boy like a visible blow and he recoiled. But then, his eyes narrowed as he finally began to get around the devastating effect of her killing intent.

"How... do you know about my brother?" He hissed with violence in his voice. "Who are you?"

Sakura cocked her head. "Same girl you've always known. But I'm sick of your arrogance Uchiha. You are a weakling, and I'm sick of you parading what strength you have around like its actually going to get you somewhere."

"Sa...kura?" Naruto's voice came tentatively, unable to comprehend the girl's one-eighty in attitude. He seemed far less affected by the killing intent than Sasuke. Probably because he'd felt it in small doses all his life.

But he wouldn't escape her wrath either.

"And you!" She rounded on him, her eyes glaring daggers. "Would it _kill_ you to find just the tiniest _shred_ of dignity? Sasuke _is_ better then you! Accept it and stop whining. Instead, start training and give him a _real_ challenge instead of rushing at him every second for another useless spar! Hell, would it _kill_ you to ask for a bit of advice? It doesn't matter if you have a _thousand _clones because every punch and kick they throwis telegraphed so far in advance that a _blind _cripple could dodge it!"

"S-Sakura...chan..." Naruto whimpered at the insult.

Yes she was well aware of the boy's inadequate training from academy instructs. That didn't make his lack of skill any less annoying for it though. "You two are supposed to be friends. Teammates! And this has gone on long enough!"

"We're not friends." Sasuke replied, finally regaining his mobility and preparing for a fight.

"Is that so?" She noted bemused.

"He's got _that _one right." Naruto recovered turning his glare to the black haired boy once again. "I could never be friends with a bastard like him."

"Well, you'd better get to like each other _real_ quick then." She told the boys lowly, a dark expression blackening her features. "Because alone, you two aren't going to stand a chance."

The beating commenced.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>Well this was fun. I liked writing the chapter but getting up to the Chuunin exams is slow going. Next chapter we can joyously intro Gaara. And Lil' Hinata's getting stronger! Woot Woot!

Please Leave a Review!

Till Next!  
>MB<em><br>_


	7. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer: **Shit not mine.

**Chapter Six**

* * *

><p>Sasuke flinched. His eyes spasming as his Sharingan once <em>again<em> failed to activate. He leaped up to the trees and once there, tripped nearly falling off the side of the great oak. His vision was distorted, and most importantly he had no idea _why._

He watched as Sakura leaped in a graceful backflip, arching over several stray branches. The trees of training ground seven shrouded her and the wild swings of a hundred Naruto clones were blocked more by those branches than any action on her part.

Landing softly on the ground she cocked her head to the left a fraction of an inch. The tiny motion was just enough to dodge Naruto's fist which now occupied the space her face had just vacated. A low gut punch dispersed the clone cleanly, but it was replaced by ten more before she had time to blink.

Efficiently she demolished their ranks with the subtlety of a bolder. Each clone got just close enough for perhaps a single attack before her unnatural speed and sharp fluid attacks destroyed it. A blurring blaze, parts of her began to become enshrouded in the dense fog left by dead chakra clones, and it made her seem like smoke.

"Grand Fireball!" The technique was telegraphed by the voice, but giant ball of flame hurled towards her so fast that Sakura only barely had enough time to disengage the clones before they were engulfed in flames and simultaneously dispersed.

She felt the Uchiha, and using instincts long honed by her previous life and retrained in this one, she followed his path as he sought a new hiding place to conceal himself. Her eyes blazed with fury.

"_No! That's not how it works!" _She screamed hatefully, glaring up directly at Sasuke Uchiha. The boy, thinking himself well hidden, jerked in shock when a kunai suddenly sliced his face across the cheek.

He loosed a yelp and darted away, but not fast enough to escape the mad blaze of a suddenly _far_ more dangerous Sakura Haruno.

Flying through the air, Sasuke was only just able to turn his body skyward and block Sakura's kick with a hastily flung wrist. Coming from above him at an impossible angle, the kick burrowed into his wrist like a nail and the force of it sent him flying back towards the ground.

"What kind of teammate _burns _his ally's technique?" The girl screamed at him after she landed upon the branch of a lower tree staring down at the twitching, battered, and bruised heap of an Uchiha. "That is _wrong!" _

_What the hell happened to her...?_ Sasuke thought, a near mad panic beginning to form in his gut. _There's no way...! There's no way this is Sakura! I refuse to believe she's gotten this good!_

"Haaa!" Came Naruto's voice as he once again engaged the pink haired girl, this time by from range. Multiple clones threw shuriken by the dozens and Sakura was forced to dodge the blonde's heavy barrage. While she did so, she noticed Naruto leap down to Sasuke and lift the boy up.

"Sakura... can't be that strong..." The blonde breathed.

Sasuke nodded his agreement. "She feels... like _him." _The black haired boy hissed, his eyes rising to stare at Sakura as she dodged the thrown weapons of Naruto's clones above them in the trees.

Naruto shuddered as he witnessed the last of his clones dying, most by their own weapons as the girl methodically caught and redistributed the shuriken to them in the most painful manner possible. The shudder crept through his whole body as multiple copies of the memory of a shuriken sliding through the air to slice into his eye danced across Naruto's fragmented memory.

The girl landed on the ground meters away from them and levelled a smirk at the two. Blue chakra emanated from her person in a sickly glow, and both boy's felt their blood run cold, knowing this person, whoever she was, had no qualms about ending their lives.

"We've... gotta get to Kakashi. He could stop her!" Naruto whispered conspiratorially.

"No." Sasuke said plainly. "The main side of the city is almost two kilometers away. She'd cut us off long before we made it that far."

"Work our way slowly then?" The blonde suggested, his tone becoming rushed as the girl began a slow walk towards them.

"I've got a better idea."

"You do?"

"One or two." Sasuke mouthed. He brought his hand to his face and wiped the blood trailing down his cheek from the slice Sakura's kunai had inflicted upon it. Sweat beaded on his brow harshly and he desperately mopped his forehead to keep the perspiration from his eyes.

"Take this." Sasuke told the blonde, handing him a thin strip of wire. "Make sure you're holding it when you clone."

Comprehension overtook the blonde's features and he was off to the left, his fingers desperately stuck in the form of the ram seal dropping clones as he went, all the while clinging to the wire in the hopes that Sasuke's plan could destroy this mad _not-Sakura_.

Sasuke, however, stood and faced the pink-haired girl. He began to gather his chakra in a large amount, but not enough to completely deplete his reserves. Sasuke couldn't help but feel the slightest tinge of awe as the wire between his thumbs began to multiply into large and larger sums of wire. The single wire he'd given the blonde became fifty in moments.

Then a hundred.

The girl walked toward him, seemingly ignoring the mass of Naruto clones being produced and instead directing her anger at Sasuke. "I try, and I try, but it never works! No amount of prodding will _ever_ make you _see,_ you arrogant bastard!" She screamed at him. "Even trying to _kill_ you both won't make you learn! How stubborn can you get? Am I going to have to actually _maim_ you?"

Sasuke didn't understand. The girl was trying to _teach_ them? It made no sense. As he looked at the girl a strange feeling of _wrongness_ crossed him. He had never seen such anger on that face. Always Sakura Haruno's eyes had been filled with simpers. Always filled with that worthless _longing _for his affection that he found so revolting. That face... it looked so different when its anger was directed at him. Her words ran together dissolving into an insubstantial blurr. The fear that crept up his spine as she flooded the ground with that feeling that so reminded him of his brother...

Well. That just made him want to kill her.

His fingers were rapidly filling with nearly invisible wires and Sasuke knew he wouldn't be able to keep their presence a secret for long, so he distracted her in the only way he could.

His chakra melded into flame within his lungs and he hurled a bolt of fire towards the swearing imposter with all the force he could muster without ruining his plan. To his irritation, the girl batted the fireball away with a bare flick of her wrist.

"That all you've got? I'm bored with fireballs. And trying to copy my style. Face it Sasuke. You're never going to beat me on your own." Sakura told him, her eyes burning with an unearthly flame.

The black-haired boy shivered violently. Could this... could this be his Itachi, wearing the guise of his teammate? The feeling in the air. The taste of blood on his lips, and the smell of it all around. It was so similar.

But he was stronger now.

"_Fine then!" _He burst hatefully. He channelled his chakra with a fury that he saved only for his brother, and the strings trailing away from him lit in blazing flame, trailing down to the Naruto clones surrounding their position and scalding half the forest in their wake. _"Now Naruto!" _

He screamed as he tugged the strings with a long backwards stride. They pulled taught, a hundred whips, snaring the girl in a cage of flaming lines.

Narutos clones rushed converging behind Sakura and the wires followed, slicing through bushes, and very nearly cutting the girl the pink haired imposter into pieces.

Sakura's eyes widened in a short shock, but the girl quickly realized what had happened. A pair of kunai suddenly decorated her hands and her long hair whipped in a frenzy, slicing each flaming wire as it approached her with the same efficiency she'd used to cut down Naruto's clones. For a short time Sasuke feared she would escape unscathed.

Then, a stray lock of hair flew in front of her face, and for a half a second she lost sight of the burning wires...

...And she missed.

Trying to dodge at the last second, she ducked under the incoming wire she'd lost sight of, but was too slow to avoid it completely. The blazing steel cable sliced her forehead, shearing away bits of hair and skin with equal ease. She screamed, losing focus and stumbling forward. Another wire sliced down low, catching a leg and snapping through her skin, straight down to the bone, sending her fully careening towards the ground.

Mind numbing pain shot straight up Sakura's leg, scalding her mind with near complete agony. Even so, she managed just enough sense to stop the problem. Even as she was falling, she launched a single kunai and dispatched the clone carrying the offending wire, and saved herself from losing the leg entirely. Her fall sent her sprawling to the ground, surprisingly out of the danger of most of the other wires.

Naruto clones began to halt, some surprised by the scream. Perhaps even more surprised that the quickly devised plan had _worked._

The moment she hit the ground Sakura jumped, ignoring the hideous pain and blood pouring out of her left popliteal. She barrel rolled in midair, spinning lithely through the final wall of flaming cords. Despite her acrobatics she didn't escape completely. The cables sliced bits of her back and shoulders, ripping her shirt near to shreds. The wires were like buzzsaws, mere centimeters from cleaving her body into bits of skin.

She felt the dirty wetness of leaking blood begin to saturate her clothes, or what remained of them. Her shirt was nearly destroyed. The sheer number of cuts made the fact that it was still clinging to her skin a near impossibility. Her pantlegs had patches where the the tips of both of her shoes had been sliced clean off during her midair roll and her toes had only avoided their fate by the width of a hair.

Again she landed. Weary and dazed by the onslaught of wires she was unprepared for the flying kick launched from behind her. Naruto's leg came high and slammed her in the back, knocking the wind from her stomach even as it knocked her from her feet.

Like a golfball she flew across the clearing, only to be met by Sasuke's waiting haymaker. The black-haired boy's fist felt like iron as it slammed into her face, nearly knocking her unconscious instantly.

She fell to the ground and bounced with a series of hard thuds on her back. Twitching, dazed, she desperately tried to figure out when things had started to go so...

...right.

Her breathing came in hacks, as the two boys appeared over her. Both staring down with cold eyes. Both wary. She stared back at them in no small amount of awe. All her training. All her jounin skills. All her abilities. None of them had prepared her for that devastating attack. Cloning Ninja Wires? It was goddamn _genius! _

Coughing, her face decorated with a black eye that would be there for months, Sakura Haruno cracked a grin.

"F-finally!" She exclaimed. Then she began to laugh. "G-god damn! Hah! B-bet Itachi would... hehe... have some t-trouble with that!" She spoke hissing inwardly as she lay there, bleeding.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Shut up." He hissed, kneeling next to his defeated opponent.

Sakura's eyes trained on him, ignoring the pain of her seared leg with inexplicable ease. "What? Didn't think I'd know? Sasuke, what is it going to take for you to get it? Alone you I thrashed you both but _together_..." The girl trailed off looking down at the wire still embedded in her flesh leg. "God damn that hurts! Little help here?"

"What's she talking about, Sasuke?" Naruto questioned, but the avenger ignored him.

"You aren't Sakura." He said quite firmly.

"The _hell_ I'm not!" She hissed. "Does it really matter at the moment! My fucking leg is on fire now help me to medical! Nice punch by the way..." The last was said with a rub her possibly broken nose.

A tick formed on the edge of Sasuke's eyebrow as he surveyed the girl who, up until a few minutes ago had been utterly kicking his ass. "If you're Sakura, then how did you disable my Sharingan? Sakura Haruno is a genin with no spectacular abilities of note, and merely above average tactical training."

"She changed you god-damn hardass." Every night when you went home, I stayed and trained. I trained like hell, all so I could get here, to this day. So I could- aghh, fucking leg!- could show you that fighting with us will get you your revenge."

"I don't believe you." The Uchiha claimed with an abject defiance.

"Believe what you want. All I've ever wanted is to help you, you ass! And maybe make you a bit less of a prick. I see I've failed on the second part." Sakura reached down to her leg and forcibly ripped the burning cable, a spray of flesh and blood following its wake. Then the girl began to mumble incoherently, but Sasuke caught the words. "...average tactical... fucking prick!..."

Naruto had remained surprisingly silent up till this point. His expression was closed, as if he were thinking hard about something. Then, he turned to Sasuke.

"So... she _is_ Sakura, then?" He asked. Then, ignoring the black-haired genin he turned to Sakura. "S-Sakura-chan? Is that... you? Were you possessed? By... uhm... by...?" He left the question hanging, hoping she would catch on to his meaning.

"No, Naruto. Nothing like that." She turned to the blonde genin. "Truth be told, I was just trying to see how far you two had to be pushed to work together. It seems only near death gets your attitudes to sync."

The pinkette sighed bleakly as she took in the afternoon. Her leg was healing already, the bone thankfully no longer visible, but the process hurt like a bitch. Most of the other scrapes, while more painful than they ever would be normally, were already little more than marks on her skin. Still, it was nice to know that Kyuubi's healing abilities were so strong.

Her face stung, but the damage from Naruto's kick had faded. She had her breath back, and unless she missed her guess, none of her ribs had cracked.

She turned back to Sasuke who was staring down at her, his eyes speculative. A small blush crept up her cheeks as the boy reevaluated her. Despite her hopes to the contrary, she knew that he was merely reassessing her _usefulness. _So many times had that look been directed at her. So many times had she mistaken it for interest. Maybe even genuine fondness.

She knew better now, but her heart still skipped that one frustrating beat.

And Shannaro-chan was loudly chanting the Uchiha's name while dancing with imaginary pom-poms of course. Couldn't forget that.

"Look, you two. I... got tired of being weak. I got tired of your put downs," A harsh glare to Sasuke was accompanied by this comment. "And... your overprotectiveness." A kinder look was sent to Naruto.

"I'm not overprotective!" The blonde objected, but was again, ignored.

Reaching down, she began the seals for some of the field medic jutsu all jounin were required to know. Nothing truly powerful, but she was starting to feel a bit light headed even with Kyuubi's healing.

"I'm a genin. But I was nothing but useless during our first fight with Zabuza." The pinkette continued somberly as green chakra began to heal her leg, and some her of more serious cuts and scrapes.

She paused a moment, feeling a slight sense of guilt as she remembered just how useless she had been on that first mission. How pathetic of a genin she had truly been. A ninja in name only. A cheerleader, ready to stand on the sidelines and smile while her teammates did the real work. The memories burned worse than the cable had.

"I wanted to be better. I wanted to be a real teammate... but once I finally got there, I realized we weren't a team at all."

Sasuke sniffed. "And this prompted you to try to kill us?"

"It _worked _didn't it?" She responded. "I know _jounin_ who couldn't escape that move!"

"And _you_ could?" Sasuke tossed the words like knives. Each one sung true, sinking into her pride and skewering the worthlessness of her skill the first time around. "You were worse than Naruto. Where do you know _jounin from? _Who has been training you?"

"Of course that is what you'd pull from this you arrogant ass. Sakura's getting special treatment. Well guess what? I've gotten the exact same training as _you." _She glared balefully.

Sasuke glared back his eyes just as fierce.

"Sooo... you _weren't_ trying to kill us?" Naruto pulled this nugget of knowledge of the of the situation like a shining gem extracted from a mine crafted of lies.

Depressed, Sakura relented with a sigh. "No Naruto... I wasn't trying to kill you. I was trying to prepare you."

"For what?"

The girl smiled brightly up at them. "The Chuunin exams!"

Naruto did a double take. Sasuke, as always, seemed unimpressed.

* * *

><p>Several days passed during which Sakura fought one on one battles with each of her companions and proceeded to decimate them. Then they would unite against her and make for a far more difficult battle. Kakashi, as always, was no where to be found during these training sessions. Whenever they were given a mission, usually only one D rank per day, Kakashi would be there hovering around as they weeded so-and-so's garden, or mended whats-'is-face's fence. Otherwise they rarely saw the masked jounin.<p>

Overall her training life didn't change all that much, save for the fact that her two teammates respect for her had jumped. Naruto of course, knew the reason for her drastic jump in power. Or at least _a_ _reason. _Kyuubi. Her bolstered chakra coils and the eternal growing of her own capacities in order to fill this tremendous gap were astounding. She'd move to punch a tree in frustration at the two boys and find the tree unable to withstand her mighty fist. Crafting a single bunshin was nearly impossible, for every time she tried she got fifty. Shadow clones were easier and she found herself using them for errands without a second thought.

Despite all these changes though, and gaining the boy's respect, along with Sasuke's occasional glares of jealousy, the team dynamic was still pretty much the same.

Her biggest change in life, was at _home_ of all places.

"Ahhhhh!" The older man's scream of agony peirced the house. It was more a whine than anything. "Ahhhhnnn!" Came another whine from her parents bedroom and Sakura couldn't help but giggle as she stepped into the doorway.

"This is what you get for hiding a bloodline daddy." Sakura admonished him with a laugh. "You should've known better than to lie to the Hokage."

"It was _fifteen years ago!" _The man screeched in childish pain. "_You _shouldn't have become a ninja! If you'd never shown that stupid bloodline then I wouldn't be going through thiiiiiss!" The man finished a with a stream of tears bursting from his eyes. His pink hair only made his condition that much more enjoyable for Sakura.

Her daddy, originally a ninja from the dead village hidden in the southern swamps, had given up the practice before she'd even been born. Now that it was discovered she had a bloodline, the Hokage had decided it was time for the man to come back out of retirement.

Of course this hadn't happened in Sakura's previous life. Her bloodline hadn't been discovered until after her father had accidentally broken his leg a few years later. Now she figured she probably wouldn't have to worry about that. Instead she got to watch her poor father as he came home every day from rigorous exercise in the retired nin ANBU training program.

It was funny as hell.

"I'm SORE! And its all your fault, Sakura!" Her father accused bitterly. He and Sakura's mother both lay in bed. One happily drinking tea and smirking. The other moaning in abject pain.

"Sorry Daddy." Sakura replied with as much false sympathy as she could muster. "Well, I'm off! See you later!"

"Arrrghhh!" The older man cried in pained rage as she skipped merrily down the stairs and bolted, a particular ramen shop in her near future.

She'd had run only half a mile or so when a familiar mess of red hair caught the corner of her eye. She smiled. The chuunin exams were only days away.

Time to start changing things.

* * *

><p>Temari of the Desert was out of her element. The air was far too moist and the extra pressure made her sweat like she never remembered doing in her short life. Pollen had given her a cold so debilitating that she was almost certain the damn weather had won Konoha more wars than Ninja ever had. She probably wasn't far off the mark.<p>

It was small comfort to know that both her brothers were suffering under the same dissatisfying quality of the weather. Even Gaara was not impervious to the effects of allergies and sickness, much as he acted he was.

Kankurou seemed to be the least affected of all of them, surprisingly, but all of them definitely felt the suppressive burden of the task ahead, as well as the deafening uncertainty of being in the midst of a foreign village. Not an enemy... not yet. But far from a friend.

There was a measure of trepidation and fear to each of them. Despite the outward cloaks of their guides through this forested city, the three knew they were under close guard. It was oppressive and nerve wracking. Worst of all was the stories she'd grown up with. Konoha and their demon Sun-haired Hokage who died years ago, but not without taking hundreds of Iwa nins with him, before bringing down the mightiest of the bijuu. Their mad fighters who would die rather than let an enemy one step beyond their walls. Their reputation was vaunted so high in wind that some wind shinobi even believed it at times.

Seeing the village... so... damn peaceful. So many silly kids playing around pretending to be ninja...? It nearly rankled at Temari's bones. This was supposed to be a place of _strength! _A place were _legends_ jumped out from behind every rock!

Instead, kids played at ninja by hiding in square boxes with _eyeholes._

"I can't believe _this_ is the place we've been told about all these years. This place is nothing but _weaklings!" _She hissed venomously. "I swear that doe-eyed Hyuuga we met back there must be the most worthless kunoichi I've ever met."

Her two brothers not only ignored her, but turned and walked in another direction, leaving her to trail after. She folded her hands beneath her breasts and put on an indignant expression.

"Hey!" Cried a voice atop the roof of a nearby building and the three genin children of the Kazekage looked up. There on the roof sat a pink-haired stick of a girl with long locks that stretched down to her mid-back. Her legs hung sporadically off the roof and she had the largest forehead... Temari ignored that factor about the girl and looked for more telling signs of a threat in her. There were none. The girl sported a huge, idiotic smile that literally _screamed_ "Walk all over me."

"I stand corrected." Temari scoffed, and Kankurou barked a laugh. Gaara, as always, remained silent.

"You're the Kazekage's kids, aren't you?" The pinkette asked, kicking her legs with all the zeal of a small child.

"What's it to you?" the sandy-haired kunoichi retorted first. The others were content to merely watch.

The pink-haired girl leaped down of the building and landed beside them, a soft explosion of dirt rising from the fall of her feet. "Hiya! I'm Sakura." Holding out a hand she gestured towards the Kunoichi first. "Figured I'd meet the competition."

Temari eyed the hand as if it might be booby trapped, and then not-so-subtly sized up the pink-haired girl in front of her. Her brothers eyes nearly mirrored hers, their incredulity spawning near wide-eyed disbelief at the openness of this soft, green village.

"_This, _is what we'll be competing against?" She finally replied. Though her eyes were focused on Sakura her tone clearly indicated she was speaking to her brothers. Before with the wimpy Hyuuga girl on Team Eight, their sensei had been with them, and Temari had been forced to show some measure of respect, even to the weaklings. Jounin was jounin, after all. People with half a brain didn't fuck with jounin. Here with this useless twit of a ninja, however, she felt no such obligation. "Go play princess with your dollies before I decide to kill you."

"Sorry ya feel that way." Sakura said with a shrug, completely unaffected by the threat. She withdrew her hand and approached Gaara. She gave him a bright smile and said, "You smell like raccoons and dirt. Don'tcha ever wash in the desert?"

Gaara blinked, taken aback a bit by her approach. His stoicism quickly took back over though and he narrowed his eyes. Temari stiffened. Nothing good ever came from Gaara's narrowed eyes.

"Eh, stupid question. My bad. Well you guys come with me! I'm not gonna have you come to Konoha without enjoying the best part!" The idiot girl continued, not realizing that she was mere inches from death itself.

Sand _sizzled_ on the ground below, ready to reach out and wrap the girl in the cage that would be her doom. Desperately she tried to signal Gaara to settle down without offending him, but she knew it was already too late. This _idiot _girl had already brought their plan to ruin. The sand stirred. It sprung...!

And the girl grabbed Gaara's hand stepping through a wave of disolving sand without even seeming to notice.

"Come on!" She exclaimed dragging the surprised boy with her further down the road. "The hot springs are this way! Living in the desert, I bet you guys have never even seen them before."

"Sh-she...?" Kankurou croaked weakly. "Temari did she just...?"

Temari's jaw was damn near hanging open. "She touched him..."

Not only had she touched him, she was _still touching him! _Holding his hand as if her were any other boy! 'What in...?'

"You guys coming?" The pinkette yelled back at them, her hand still latched around Gaara's. She stood looking at the two of them, seemingly unaware of the red-haired boy snarling in her grasp.

Another wave of sand exploded forthe, this time spilling nearly the entire gourd on Gaara's back. It engulfed them both and... dissolved into nothing, littering the ground around them with sand. Sakura turned to Gaara and smiled a sunny grin. "Dusty today, ain't it? Almost like you brought a bit of the desert with you! Well, lets go!"

The girl took off down the path, dragging the red head behind her, ignorant of the all consuming rage he was radiating like a bonfire. Temari watched as spouts of sand seemed to erupt into the air the further the two ran.

"Te...mari?" Kankurou asked numbly.

Temari quickly revised her opinion of Konoha. Weaklings? No. Legends_... from behind every rock._

A cold chill crawled up her spine. "I'm not liking our odds in this..." She whispered. And they followed after.

* * *

><p>Gaara began to realize something was horribly, horribly wrong after about his third attempt to end the life of this vile Konoha ninja. A third time, his sand moved to cage her. And a third time his sand's hold simply fell away. Add to that, her iron grip, and her running along dragging him behind her, made for a very puzzled son of the Kazekage?<p>

He pulled with all his might and jerked the nimble girl to a stop. She turned, and again smiled at him. "Something wrong?"

Gaara twitched. "_Die!_" He screamed, sending his most massive burst of sand yet, engulfing her in it. He drew on the energy within this fertile ground and upon all of his surroundings. All his power, mixed together with his ever present defense laid waste to the wretched kunoichi. No longer imprisoning, this time his sand skewered her. Forming into jagged daggers to pierce, blunt rocks to bludgeon, and hard walls to smash the remains. All of these weapons fell upon the unsuspecting pinkette ushering in her doom, and puncturing her with so many death wounds that none would be able to recognize her remains...

He grinned. His eyes wide with glee as he proved his existence with the death of yet another...!

"You done?" Came a flippant voice, that finally showed a hint of annoyance echoing out from where the girl should have died. The sand fell away, revealing the Konoha ninja. Completely unharmed.

Gaara's eyebrow twitched again. "You... aren't dying." He commented.

"Noted." The girl replied.

Several civilians were watching the spectacle with hints of amusement or fear. They stood nearer to the outskirts of town now and there were less people around. Gaara's brother and sister had not yet caught up to them, but in the very back of his mind, Gaara found a very small... twinge that yearned for their presence. '_She's... not dying. Mother...? Why isn't she dying?'_

Sakura grinned again. This time, instead of seeming foolish, the smile made Gaara shake in a way he didn't understand. That smile... was not as innocent as it first appeared. "Come on! You'll love the hot springs! Promise!"

And again, he was flying across the ground, running to keep up with the girl and her mammoth grip.

Confusion damn near consumed him as he ran, and his sand spasmodically slashed out at the girl, only to dissolve into dust with each attack. Why wasn't she dying? It just didn't make sense. His mother _screamed_ for her blood. The back of his head filled with expressions of his mother's hatred, but the sand, lashing out at her had no more effect.

By the time they came to a stop on the very edge of the town in a heavily wooded area, Gaara was at a complete loss. No matter what he did, the sand seemed to just rub off her with no effect.

By the sixth attempt to kill her he was frustrated. At nineteen, he was in a frothing rage.

"_WHY WON"T YOU DIE!_" He screamed, finally fed up with the girl who wouldn't let go of his hand. His words, somehow, seemed to surprise her far more than his sand, and he was surprised to find himself falling as the sudden loss of contact with her sent him sprawling. His sand caught him long before he hit the ground and he was brought to stand directly in front of the girl.

"Sorry... hehe. Didn't mean to impose. You just looked like you could use a friend." The pinkette said, nervously as she scratched the back of her head.

He ignored her. Instead, he threw his fist at her, and a wall of sand surrounded the appendage creating the image of an arm the size of a building. Unsurprisingly, the sand washed away, and Sakura caught his hand with her own palm. She grunted with the effort but held his palm as sand fell to the ground and seeped back into Gaara's gourd around them.

"_I don't have friends!" _He glared into her eyes. "I exist to kill, _everything." _

Sakura suddenly swept towards him, and hugged him close to her. The shock alone, sent Gaara's mind awhirl. The sand wasn't killing her. Oh, it was definitely trying. The girl's touch, provoked it into a wild frenzy and it spasmodically sprayed around her. Desperately it tried to enclosed and destroy the wretched girl, but fell to useless dust and seeped away, only to reform and try again. And the girl seemed completely ignorant.

"There's a better way to live..."

"I exist to _kill everything! Why won't you die?" Gaara screamed. _"Why can you _touch me!" _

"Calm down." Sakura demanded, and was surprised to find the boy doing so. "There are many who can touch you, Gaara. A killer among a world of killers is not special."

The boy let loose a snarl, but his voice turned inward. "M-mother.. kill her! K-kill her!"

"I'm stronger than you." Sakura said. "You can't kill me."

"I can kill anything!" He hissed back at her, struggling to free himself from her arms. "I have to...! For my mother!"

"Then why do your brother and sister live, Gaara? Why is the village you come from still alive? If you exist to destroy them all, then why haven't you?" The infuriating pinkette asked. The question was simple, clear cut, but it had a deep impact. Surprisingly, Gaara's sand stopped raging as the boy thought.

"I don't... want...?" It was almost a question, but Sakura smiled indulgently.

"You have people who care for you. And you know it, don't you? Your mother is a liar. She only wants your sanity. Nothing would make her happier than to kill those you love."

"I-I..." Gaara fell to silence... The sand around him flowed back into his gourd and stopped its rage as Sakura parted from the embrace.

The pinkhaired girl made a gesture towards a building from which Gaara could see steam rising behind. "Here are the springs. Go try them... And while you do, think about your mother. Ask yourself, has following her orders made you happy? I bet it hasn't..."

Gaara's eyes remained fixated on Sakura's.

"_Gaara!" _Came a worried scream from behind. Temari was sprinting up the path, with Kankurou not far behind.

"See how they care?" Sakura asked plainly. "I'll see you in the Chuunin exams. Think about what I've said Gaara, and remember the name Naruto. He's going to show you a better way. I promise."

"Naruto...?" He asked, as Temari finally reached them. Instantly, she placed herself between the redhaired boy and the Konoha ninja. Her eyes filled with hatred and worry in equal quantities.

"Stay the _hell_ away from my brother." She hissed. A hint of fear leaked from her tone, that Sakura wouldn't have caught if not for years of recognizing the emotion on enemy's faces.

Sakura only smiled and said simply. "See?"

She backed a few steps away an raised her hands in a placating gesture. "See you in the exams."

The girl vanished. There was no flash of smoke to indicate the use of shunshin. She merely disappeared.

"Crazy bitch... I hate this place." Temari sighed, trying to cover her relief with harsh words that didn't fool either of her brothers. She turned her eyes to Gaara. The boy found them filled with a concern that he only remembered truly seeing in the eyes of the betrayer... the one he had loved. The one who'd tried to kill him.

But...?

Poised on the edge of asking if the Tanuki Jinchuuriki was alright, Temari decided against it. "Come on. Lets go back to our rooms."

She turned and walked down the path a short ways, Kankurou in step with her, before she realized Gaara wasn't following. "Gaara...?" She hesitated.

"I... wish to visit the hot spring." He told her.

Temari nearly blanched. "W-well... o...kay? Then we'll go in."

"Er... I'd rather not. It'll wash off my..." Kankurou interjected a bit softly. "That is... unless you... want me to come-!"

"Go back then. I don't need you." Gaara's words were final. Harsh. Everything Kankurou should expect from his demonic younger brother. But inwardly, the redhead questioned. _'Do I?' _

"All...right. If you're sure." The puppet user commented, stepping away slowly as if not quite sure if he was ready to leave his younger brother alone.

'_Do they care?' _Gaara thought, idly. _'They seem so... worried.' _

"_No! They don't! They care nothing for you! Only I! Only I...! Kill them... __They'll just betray you... __yes, let us taste their traitorous blood!" _The words of his mother echoed in his head, but Sakura's superimposed them. Mother was a liar...? And for the first time, Gaara questioned.

Finally, the redhead turned and walked into the building. Temari followed.

That night, astronomers noticed a ball if neon red energy blazing in the sky, and thought it was a star. More skilled eyes saw the red ball and recognized it for what it was. Chakra. A _massive_ concentration of Chakra. And they feared.

That night... Gaara slept.

* * *

><p>Sasuke Uchiha was contemplating murder. Not in the context that he usually saved it for, that being: I will kill, someday. This time, he was contemplating the murder of his teammate. He'd often fantasized about how nice life could be if he killed Naruto, but he'd never actually gone so far as to develop plans.<p>

Sakura he'd rarely even thought about. If she died, he wouldn't be at her funeral. If she became Hokage, he'd had no intention of congratulating her. She was... alot like a fly actually. Pretty much entirely useless.

'_On second thought,'_ he mused. _'More a butterfly. She was pretty at least.'_ He allowed himself that note in the dark recesses of his mind where he hid away things like the fact that puberty was upon him.

All that had changed seemingly overnight. One day Sakura was a wimp. A complete pushover who couldn't win in a fight against either him or Naruto in a million years. Then the next, she was a powerhouse. A veritable sea of ingenuity and pure 'fuckyou.' No matter how hard he tried, no matter how fast he moved, he was almost purely unable to even land a _finger_ on her in their spars.

The only saving grace was the fact that Naruto also couldn't touch her.

Somehow though, every time he and Naruto teamed up, they could usually wipe the floor with her. Using the smoke left by clones to cripple her sight while Sasuke pelted her with Shuriken had worked. Henging into each other to confuse the pinkette had been ingenious. There had also been that time Naruto had set a trap for the girl, burying pointed kunai in the earth, while Sasuke had led her to the spot. The girl had actually put a hole in her foot stepping on one of them. So... goddamn simple and yet he couldn't take her out on his own.

It stung.

But the worst part about it was that he _knew_ the girl had been a pushover after the genin exams. She had trained, and trained, while he had clearly been slacking. Growing such strength in such a short time meant that he should've have been exponentially greater than her.

But he wasn't...

And that led to his current dilemma of wanting to kill her.

To prove that he could. To prove he was _good_ enough. To beat the one whose killing intent so clearly sparked that memory of his brother.

He'd contemplated telling Kakashi about her. About his suspicious that she might not even _be_ Sakura. But he wasn't dead yet, and he quickly realized that the girl's sparring matches were a far better training tool than practicing on his own held his tongue.

On his own, he had yet to best her. But he _was_ closing the gap. One on one taijutsu he'd _almost _managed to beat her without the trap he and Naruto had laid. She'd been on the defensive and he had broken through to land hits that a week ago would have been impossible for him.

When he'd broken her defense, managing to finally hit her without the aid of their blonde compatriot, he'd seen the grin. The confidence on her face. The joy of battling a rival.

A... rival... Sakura? Such a strange thought. But he was faster. Stronger than ever. And Sakura was helping him get there...

...God dammit.

'_Sakura... stop growing closer. I don't want you to be the one I have to kill..." _

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

My inspiration's been in the toilet lately. Sorry its taking so long for me to write anything. Work 40 hours a week, with the airforce boot camp growing ever closer... Sigh. Well I hope this chapter gets some luvs. Feel free to **leave a review.**

**Till Next**!  
><strong>MB<strong>


	8. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer: **Shit not mine.

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

><p>There were a few things in the world that tended to be a signal that the day would be bad. First and most impending was, of course, the horrifying thought of Kakashi Hatake being on time. If that ever occurred the three genin on his squad might just say 'fuck it' and commit suicide, as that would probably be the better option.<p>

Second had to do with the Uchiha. If Uchiha Sasuke ever appeared to be in a good mood, then Sakura would take that as a sign that tossing herself off the edge of the world again would probably be the best idea. Naruto might stop eating Ramen- capital R -on such a day.

These were the two extremes of the team but coming in a distant third was the unlikely event of Naruto being in a _bad_ mood. While this would not be a signal that the apocalypse was upon them, as the other two were, it was a strong indicator that a bad day awaited.

Currently, Naruto Uzumaki was in a bad mood.

"Ramen, Ramen, Ramen!" Exclaimed an excited Sakura Haruno as she bounced happily down the streets ahead of the blonde.

Naruto walked at an uncharacteristically even pace as he tried, with some degree of success not to glare at the pinkette.

Over the past few days Sakura, Sasuke, and himself had been training nearly round the clock. Naruto had discovered that, however she'd gotten part of the Kyuubi's chakra, her perfect control mixed with the near infinite power of the ninetails had produced an incredible fighter. Naruto had been proud of his own observation that her control had augmented Kyuubi's chakra... far better than he was at taming his own wellspring of power. No longer barely able to last, the girl's endurance had grown to nearly match his own. She spat out Shadow clones like candy and kept up with his without even seeming to try. Perfect control mixed with limitless energy... it was a wonder that they _ever_ beat her.

But Sakura's acquisition of the Kyuubi had changed other facets of her as well. Her personality for one. The girl was as ramen crazy as he was, and that was awesome. He got to eat ramen damn near daily and he loved every second of it. It was the _other_ changes that were causing his glare.

Sakura Haruno was... annoying.

Not always. Not all the time, as he was still quite infatuated with the pink haired girl but he was becoming annoyed with her in the same way that excessive contact with anyone tends to rub at the nerves. It was a rather difficult fact for him to face. After years of trying to get into the girl's good graces he finally seemed to have gained her respect, only to find that her 'work-together' 'happy-go-lucky' attitude was beginning to grate on him. She was more active than he was, and she trained until the sun came up more often than not. Of course, Jealous as he was prone to be, Sasuke trained with her, refusing to allow himself to be any more lazy than his pink haired teammate.

And of course that meant Naruto was up with them. Hours and hours they spent together, battling her. Listening to her instruct him. But it was always 'No! Naruto hold your fist _this way!' _or_ 'You graduated the academy! You should know basic handseals!' _or his least favorite _'Naruto if you rush me one more time I'm cutting off an arm!' _

He couldn't deny that it was helping. He was ten times the fighter he'd been at Wave already. But _damn_ it was annoying!

Curiously, her attitude seemed to have the _opposite_ effect on Sasuke. He fought harder than ever. His pure enjoyment of battling a powerful opponent to increase his own skills showed plainly on his face. Once he'd looked to Naruto in that manner. Not friendly... but acknowledging him as a rival. Now he graced Sakura with those looks. Hell, Naruto was almost _certain_ he saw the boy crack a smile today!

Not that Naruto gave two shits what Sasuke thought of him, no sir! But it still...

The worst part about it all? The absolute _worst _part? The damn girl still had the energy to be chipper after joyously beating the crap out of them.

"Why so down Naruto?"

"I hate you." Was his simple reply. The effect was enhanced by the soft imprint her shoes had left on his face after today's training.

The girl only grinned. "Nah, you love me."

'_Infuriating!'_ Thought the blonde, more because he couldn't stop his grin than because of her. _'Curse you for being so damnably lovable! Curse you a thousandfold!'_

The midafternoon sun glazed down feebly in the spring weather. Clouds constantly blocked its gaze and the air was cool. Villagers were out and about, and some of them sent their usual glares his way as they passed. As always, Naruto ignored them, and also found himself ignoring Sakura's sympathetic cocked eyebrow.

They got to their favorite Ramen stand and Naruto found his mood perked by the end of their meal. Only six bowls today, and Sakura had downed nine. Sasuke, brooding tagalong that he was, tied with Naruto's six. The Uchiha had been ravenous from hunger as he didn't have the endless energy that Sakura and he sported.

"Bye old man Teuchi! I'll see you tomorrow!" Naruto exclaimed as he left, feeling rejuvenated.

"Yes! Thank you very much!" Sakura followed on his words and gave the older man and his daughter a bow before leaving with Naruto. Ever the polite girl in gave a patented nod to Teuchi as they left and Naruto caught his eyes. In that second they exchanged an entire conversation:

"_Sakura is such a fake! She's never that polite!"_

"_Agreed."_

"_I can't believe she puts up such a convincing front! And I always thought she was so nice..."_

"_Agreed."_

"_Tomorrow she shall _pay..._"_

"_Agreed."_

And the conversation ended.

"You're welcome! See you tomorrow, you three." The man replied, but was unable to show much enthusiasm. Ichiraku was filled this evening and the man was concentrating on his cooking.

"Yes! Come again!" Ayame bid them farewell with far more warmth than her father had been able to.

"So Sasuke, what do you think of using that Trigram attack on an ene-!" The three stepped out of the shop and Sakura's voice trailed off at the sight of a girl blocking their path.

Hinata Hyuga stood right in front of Naruto, her eyes staring fiercely up at him with a determination that seemed strangely out of place on the young girl.

Naruto stood there, waiting for her to speak. The girl was biting her lips furiously and seemed to be debating with herself over something but she refused to break eye contact.

"Uh... do you need something?" He asked, plainly. _'Weird girl. Wasn't she in our graduating class?' _

"N-Naruto. Would you... uhm... would you go... on a date?" She stuttered her way through the sentance slowly as if each word were an entire battle. "With... with me?" By the end her voice was nearly a squeak, practically begging to be pitied. "Perhaps... to eat dinner, somewhere?"

Naruto cocked his thumb back at Ichiraku's and said, "I just ate."

* * *

><p>Sakura didn't recognize Hinata Hyuuga. But as soon as the timid girl finished talking Sakura felt her blood run hot.<p>

'_Hell no he can't go on a date with you!' _The thought came unbidden and Sakura's eyes darted to Naruto's back as he stared dumbly at the girl._ 'Tell her you can't!' _She commanded mentally.

"I just ate."

'_Good 'nuff.' _Sakura thought with a slight giggle. Naruto was hers! Hell half the reason she came back in time was to make sure Naruto achieved his dreams. Some bowlcut Hyuuga wouldn't take him from her!

_His dreams? Who are you kidding? You're a Naruto fangirl every bit as much as I love Sasuke-kun._

Sakura grimaced at inner Sakura's injection, but she didn't back away from it. It was sort of true after all. But her mind drifted to that memory... that memory of the rasenbomb. Such... _power. _It was difficult not to be at least a _little_ attracted.

Plus, those whiskers were so damn cute!

Which brought her back to the current dilemma of this Hyuuga who she couldn't remember for the life of her. Who was this girl?

Naruto's blaise answer to the girl's request had averted her worries of competition for the moment. As she watched a blush cross the blue haired girl's cheeks, Sakura tried in vain to remember her. Those white eyes were hard to forget but damned if she could... wait. Hi... Hinata. Hinata Hyuuga. Abruptly memory sparked. Hyuuga Hinata. Born of the Hyuuga main family, but branded into the branch family shortly after... after Naruto was presumed dead. Sakura remembered the girl.

She remembered her from the obituaries. She'd gone missing nin. Hunter ANBU had gotten her. Well now that was a downer.

"I... I meant tomorrow... or Saturday, if tomorrow is, uhm, unacceptable." The girl peeped through her nervous blush.

"Well... I kinda have to train for the Chuuni-!"

"He can." Sakura interrupted harshly. She failed to notice the very small glare Naruto sent to her for her interuption. "I doubt you'll be able to get him to dress nice, but he'll be there, Hinata-chan." She said the girl's name with a note of closeness that she knew shouldn't have been there. The girl wouldn't die chasing Naruto's phantom. Things would be _different!_

The girl's doughy Hyuuga eyes abruptly turned to daggers of ice. "I wasn't asking _you. _He can tell me what he wishes."

'_Things will stay the same. The bitch dies...' _Sakura thought maliciously. Had she been thinking more logically she'd have been amazed by how quickly her resolve crumbled.

"Fine then! Naruto do what you want! Come on Sasuke, lets go throw Kunai at pigeons." Sakura barked. Sasuke followed her easily.

"B-but Sakur- er...?" Naruto turned back to the Hyuuga as Sakura made it out of earshot. Chancing a glance back over her shoulder, she found Naruto talking to the little Hyuuga prick. She groaned in disgust.

Had she been more attentive, she'd have noticed Sasuke was on the very cusp of breaking down into helpless unbridled laughter.

* * *

><p>Sasuke had been having a bad day. <em>Had been.<em>

Then Hyuuga Hinata had entered his life, and suddenly all things were going better than _ever. _

No. No he wasn't interested in the Hyuuga romantically or anything of the sort. He had left the confines of Ichiraku's Ramen stand expecting the usual night of sore sleep from battling Sakura and Naruto all day. But then he had been blindsided by something so unbearably funny that it was all he could do not to fall to his knees.

He didn't. He was a goddamned Uchiha and he wouldn't fall prey to something as stupid as _humor._ But oh it was _sooo... rich!_

Naruto had a _fangirl! _And to add fire to flames, it wasn't just one! It was _two! _Sakura had switched! And now Naruto was finding out exactly how unbearable it was to have two women, both undeniably annoying, fighting for his attention!

Epic.

"Heh." He chuckled, and blinked. The sound of his own laugh was... weird, but once loosed it was very hard to keep in. "Heh heh."

Sakura stopped her marching away from them with a confused twitch in her ear. Had she heard what she'd thought she'd just heard? Sasuke only grinned wider. Then she turned... slowly... And found herself completely gobsmacked as she witnessed a Sasuke Uchiha with a genuine smile on his face.

"Y-you... you're..." A hand unconsciously travelled to the girl's mouth in near shock. "You're sm-smiling!"

Sasuke's smile was abruptly replaced by his usual smirk but he didn't even care. This was by far the best day he could ever remember. Naruto had _fangirls. _And Sakura... well. She'd been torturing him for days now. Payback's a bitch.

"You love Naruto." He said simply.

Sakura reacted much the same as if she'd been struck by a grand fireball. A blanch. A wide, eggy smile, with sweat trailing down a beet red face. "Wh-what? Why would... would you think something as st-stupid as that? S-Sasuke?"

He stepped forward, a cat having cornered a mouse. "That right there. No Sasuke-_kun."_ He said, emphasizing the honorific. "Sakura you've given up on me!"

That was a smaller punch than the accusation that she was in love with Naruto but it was much more precise. Yes. She _had _given up on him. But... she'd... never seen him smile before. It was a good smile. It made her traitorous heart flutter.

_Fuck. Yeah. Shannaro!_

But his damn words hit like a brick. He said them with such _happiness_! It was painful to know your attentions were so very unwanted. Had he really resented her so much in their childhood?

Apparently so.

"I'm glad." He said, the smile threatening to creep onto his face _again_ as he glanced back at their blonde teammate and the blue haired girl. Sakura followed the Uchiha's gaze and watched as the Hyuuga's face suddenly lit up, and she knew that Naruto had just agreed to a date of some sort.

Sakura's eyebrow twitched again in irritation, and of course Sasuke noticed.

"What are you so _glad for?" _The pinkette hissed, feeling a bit resentful and cheated. "Glad to be rid of your fangirl? Waste of space? _Average Tactical Training?_" She bated, bringing up the memory from a few weeks ago when she'd first revealed her new strength.

She turned back to the blackhaired boy and found that his eyes were the softest she had ever seen them. Her heart truly _did_ flutter at that piercing gaze, and the words touched her no less so. "No. I'm happy you're not wasting your feelings on me."

That phrase sparked a natural human reaction. _'Oh Sasuke, Its not a waste...!' _But it was just that. Pity with no heart. Sasuke _was_ a waste of her time. He'd proven it...

'_But not _this_ Sasuke.' _Inner Sakura quickly piped.

He turned and stepped past her towards the Uchiha compound, leaving Sakura in utter turmoil. Behind her, she could hear the footsteps of an embarrassed Hyuuga fleeing the scene and Naruto scratching his head. Idiot was probably wondering what just happened to him.

Before continuing any further, Sasuke stopped and threw one more nugget at the pink haired girl. "Also... seeing Naruto with fangirls is... _hilarious."_

For some reason Sakura felt she should be annoyed at that but she wasn't. Instead, she settled for being serious about the matter. "Don't tell him? I... I don't want him to think of me like... well. Like you do." _'Or is that 'Did?' I see affection in those eyes, Sasuke.' _

Sasuke frowned at that. "Hnn."

That hnn, Sakura read as confusion. His own turmoil. What _did_ he feel for her? Last time, nothing. Truly Sasuke was a being who could only respect strength, but now that she had shown herself superior -_worth his time?_- did that change things? Moreso, did she _want_ to be loved only because she was strong?

Damn this boy and his ability to get under her skin so easily!

Nothing more was spoken, and Sasuke placed his hands in his pockets, returning once again to the stoic brooder. He took a last glance at the still bewildered Naruto, shook his head and smirked, and then disappeared into the night.

_Damn. _Inner Sakura cursed.

'Damn.' Sakura found herself agreeing.

She had her own thoughts to consider this evening. Who did she care for? The bubbling life of Naruto? Or was Sasuke going to worm his way back into her graces? _That smile... _She'd never really seen it before.

She shook her head. She was thirteen, and thinking about things like an adult. Foolish. She would go on like she always had, and one way or another, she would be happy.

She was going to have to wipe the silly grin off Naruto's face though. It seemed he finally figured out that the Hyuuga girl actually _liked_ him.

Thrice Damn.

* * *

><p>"So... your name is Sakura? Mine's Rock Lee. Lets go out together. I'll protect you till I die."<p>

Sakura looked at him for a moment until his 'nice guy' pose became awkward. Then she shrugged. "Alright. I could use the help."

And suddenly Sakura found herself on the receiving end of death glares from _both_ her teammates.

"Sakura but _we've_ been dating." Naruto whined piteously, his eyes mewling.

"We don't need... _help." _Sasuke, obviously.

'_Oh if only you knew Sasuke. Orochimaru... we'll need all the help we can get."_

"Oh come on you guys. We're all from Konoha. What's wrong with a little friendship?" Then she turned back to Lee and winked. "Besides. I like your eyebrows."

Everyone's eyes widened at the sheer unbelievability of that statement as Rock Lee floated on air. The two genin blocking the stairway just _stared_ as Sakura Haruno walked right on by them, dispelling the Genjutsu on the door as she went.

Neji Hyuuga rolled his eyes at the antics of his teammate and followed after the girl, between the two disguised exam instructors. Lee had just spent twenty minutes with his idea of downplaying their abilities and he goes and breaks the idea first. Luckily it seemed a few good opponents might have been found.. "Hey... you. What's your name?"

"You first." The black haired boy answered, recovering from the antics of his own teammate.

"I'm Neji Hyuuga."

"Uchiha Sasuke."

They nodded at one another, both assured of their own strength. Both grinning the smirk of newly formed rivals.

_Rrrrr... Always Sasuke!_

"Hey you wanna know _my_ name?" Naruto shouted with his usual enthusiasm.

Neji scowled for a moment sizing up the boy. Despite the large orange coat he was actually ridiculously scrawny. He didn't look like a chunin. Hell he didn't look like he should even be a genin.

"Not interested."

Naruto's head fell. _Why doesn't anyone ever take me seriously? _

A cloud hung over Naruto's head for a couple of minutes as he too walked in.

"Don't worry Naruto."

Gahh! The boy jumped as the voice of Sakura suddenly appeared from behind him. "How the heck did you get behind me so quick?"

She smirked a little but ignored his indignant outburst. "Naruto. Let your fist do the talking. You don't need to worry about what they think. When they lie in the dirt at your feet, then see how they feel, eh?"

Naruto turned his head a little and gave a suspiciously Sasuke-like smirk. "Yeah. You're right Sakura. I'll show em. I'll show em all."

"That's my teammate." She replied. Then she slid right up beside him, breeched all boundaries of personal space, and kissed him on the cheek.

Naruto's face lit up like a neon stop sign. As Sakura walked on towards the entrance to the exams and Kakashi waiting for them, she could swear she heard steam blowing out his ears.

Lee never challenged Sasuke like she'd expected him to. Apparently the only reason he'd done it before was to impress her. Unnecessary really. She _knew_ what Lee would become and that was impressive enough on its own.

It was just... in his childhood... those damn eyebrows!

"Glad you three all made it." Kakashi said with the most profoundly _interested_ tone they could remember him ever using. "I wasn't worried. You three have been training from sunup to sundown for weeks. This exam should be a piece of cake for you."

'_So he had been watching us. At least a little.' _Sakura thought.

_Nah. Bet he's bluffing. I mean seriously. He cancelled Practice for a month and only had us do D ranks and then split. Also a new Icha Icha came out just after we got back from wave. He's probably been reading it front to back. _Shannaro-chan injected.

'_Seriously? I gotta pick that up! Wait how do _you_ know that?" _

_I've been snooping in your head. Those books are hotter than Sasuke. Remember that time you and Ino read one toget-!_

"_Shut up! I refuse to admit that Jiraiya the Super Pervert has any talent with the pen... And we were drunk!"_

She couldn't see it but she could _feel_ Shannaro-chan grinning.

Little figment was getting downright cheeky! She was kind of fond of having a voice in her head again though, so Sakura decided to merely laugh it off.

_Knew you loved me._

"We'll ace this exam Kakashi sensei! I can do _Anything today!" _Screamed the suddenly lively Naruto.

"Good. You'll need it! You guys make me proud! Now go!"

They went in, ready to face the untold sea of genin that awaited beyond.

* * *

><p>"Hokage-sama!"<p>

A ring of ancient seals littered the once cluttered office of the Rokudaime. Candles were the only light source in the office and even though it was sunny, no light seemed to seep through the open window.

In the weeks since Sakura Haruno left, light and sound and time were funny like that.

"What, Shizune?" Sasuke replied with a hiss. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Sasuke, the Edge! It's _here!_" The frightened girl exclaimed throwing down a page of paper riddle with notes and fearfilled accounts of eyewitnesses outrunning the coming doom.

"What? But it only just started last week! I thought there would be more time!" The Hokage exclaimed.

"Its... its coming too fast. Sasuke... we're all going to die." The girl was sobbing tears. "The End Day has come, and the edge of the world grows thinner by the hour. Soon all the land will be consumed once more by the eternal storm."

"What of the other countries? Is there any word!"

"Wind reported their doom hours before all communication went silent. Earth similarly reported that the land had suddenly started sliding into the edge... falling into that... pit.

Sasuke was unmoved. Death... well. That was something he'd deserved for a very long time. He just... had one more task he hoped to complete first.

"If the world is no longer to be ours then its probably making way for something better. Shizune... Don't be afraid. Get all the Ninja on the walls. Have them use every technique and jutsu they can think of to halt the Edge. Once that is done, find the women and children and get them to the monument... if this is going to end with the whole world falling off the outside, then it'll probably end there. Fate's a bitch but she does love her symbolism."

"Y-Yes... Hokage-sama... but... that black void. The cliffs... watching the places I grew up just... slide off and fall like a broken cliff... I don't know if I can-"

"You _must." _The Rokudaime demanded. "You _will._ I only need a little more time."

The frightened woman slowly nodded and stood. "Y-yes sir."

Sasuke frowned. The woman was damn near twice his age, one would think she would be the more sensible one in this situation. "Go. We'll try everything that we can..."

The end of days. The edge of the world closing in and claiming the elemental countries from all sides. Fire country, being in the middle, was luckiest. They would be last to plunge into the abyss. Heh. Save the best for last...

"Shizune." He stopped her as she was almost to the door.

"Hmm?"

"If we never see each other again... you were a great assistant. I never could've done this job without you."

She blushed. She _fucking _blushed. Even in the midst of the end of the world she fucking blushed! God he would never understand women!

"Thank you sir." She gave a short bow. "You're the... greatest Hokage ever. Don't ever tell Tsunade I said so though, okay?"

He didn't smile, but he gave her the 'hnn' that best represented laughter. She grinned. And stepped out of his life forever.

"Alright... Its time to begin."

_Sakura... I'm going to find you. _

Moments later Shizune was watching as the edge of the world crept dangerously close to Konoha's walls. She looked on at the hundreds of ninja throwing their strongest attacks in an effort to hold the land away from the abyss but to no avail. The land of the forest surrounding them cracked, unableto bear its own weight. Then, much like a waterfall, the trees began to tilt, and then the ground itself lurched like the brow of a ship tilting into the water. Then it tumbled into the darkness, growing ever closer.

A sudden blaze of heat rained on her back and she turned shocked eyes towards the Hokage tower and saw a cloud of blooming flames consuming all that was within. An explosion... or at least what looked like an explosion. She could only hope that blowing the building up was part of her Hokage's plan...

"Sasuke... _save us..." _Cracks in the metal beneath her feet signified the breaking foundation. A loud roar came to her ears, the sound of the wall cracking in a thousand different places. Then the wall began to tilt. She held on tight to the edge and found a hundred other nameless ninja doing the same beside her. Like the top of a roller coaster just before the drop, they hovered there, the wall clinging to its own broken pieces, slowly turning her tight squeezing of the palisade into a desperate grab to hang on.

"I won't let go... maybe if I can hold on just a little longer!"

Another loud crack shuddered through the piece of metal she was holding on to. A sudden feeling of butterflies began to pool in her stomach... and then the wall fell. But still, she never let go.

_The Eternal Storm closed in... and that reality was finally erased._

_Because..._

_It had never happened. _

* * *

><p>'Wh-where am I...?' Was the first thought that came to his mind as he awoke.<p>

Then pain set in. He bore it like any ninja would but it wasn't a usual kind of pain. He knew the price of the ritual he had completed. Breaking into the realm of Summons was dangerous enough. Following that path back to another summoner was even more dangerous. It basically turned him into his own summon. He would drain his _own_ chakra. And when it ran out, he would be whisked back to his own home.

The one that was crumbling around him... for all he knew... it was probably already gone.

The drain was steady, and large... he wouldn't have much time here. He had to find Sakura fast.

So back to his original thought, he looked around in order to get his bearings and realized he was still in the Hokage's office. Still wearing the robes of the Hokage too for that matter. That would probably be bad. Quickly, he discarded them, remaining in the usual ninja gear he always wore beneath.

It _was _the Hokage's office. But not _his_ Hokage's office. Books stacked all around the office in disarray, in a way that was eerily similar to the Sandaime's penchant for study. Luckily, the office _was_ empty.

"I must find her..."

Stepping to the window, he leapt out, noting that the monument held neither Tsunade's face, nor his own.

"_Am I in the past?" _

Running across rooftops he made his way quickly to Sakura's home, only to find a vacant lot where her building should be.

"_Score two for the past theory." _Thought the confused Uchiha. _"How could Sakura have come to the past?" _

He turned and began to travel to where the girl's childhood home was, and being a kage, made it there faster than an eyeblink. He was in a hurry. The chakra drain was already beginning to strain his hold on this reality. Soon it would pull him back...

"Oh. Hello? Who are you?" Asked the pleasant figure of Sakura's mother at the doorway.

"I'm... a jounin. Listen, I need you to tell me where your daughter is. It's important." He told her with his usual stoicism.

The woman eyed him skeptically for a moment. "She's... participating in the chunin exams today. Why? Has she done something-"

Sasuke didn't wait for her to finish speaking. He vanished like a flash of lightning.

The Chunin Exams... So... their childhood. Sakura had somehow returned to her childhood.

But was that even possible?

As he moved he contemplated ways Sakura might've accomplished such a feat. Her bloodline. The ability to create a barrier that steals active chakra and then repurpose it to her own needs... She would've needed to steal an enormous amount of energy but...

Well he'd made it here, hadn't he?

He reached the exam grounds. Noting the time, he realized that they probably hadn't begun the second task of the exam.

Two guards stood in front of the doors watching him as he approached. He walked right by them, and they didn't hinder him, but as he looked closer he realized that they were _terrified._

Walking through a few rooms, already well acquainted with the path to get to the exam room, he found several chunin who would spot him, and then just sit there, slack jawed.

Sasuke was growing annoyed by the third time a group of guards had casually let him pass. One of them nearly pissed himself upon sight of Sasuke, and for the life of him, the Uchiha couldn't figure out why.

Finally he came to the closed exam doors. Usually, it was illegal to interrupt an exam but he didn't have the time to wait. Not nearly enough time.

The two guards stepped aside for him... both visibly trembling at the sight of him. Then one of them ran, booking it around the corner and back the way Sasuke had come.

'_This is really getting old.' _Thought the black-haired man.

He opened the double doors. Instantly, the eyes of a hundred plus genin, several chunin examiners, and one jounin lay upon him.

"Who dares interrupt..." Then the grizzled head of torture and interrogation blanched at who stood in the doorway. "I-Itachi!"

'_Oh. That explains it. They think I'm my brother.' _

His eyes swept the room, and quickly latched onto a girl with bright pink hair, a blonde boy with wiskermarks, and a black-haired youthful version of himself.

He couldn't help but chuckle a little as he noticed his younger self instantly begin to seeth in _rage._ But he wasn't important. None of them were.

Only the little, pink-haired girl.

Her eyes wide with disbelieving shock, and definite recognition.

"S-Sasuke!" She nearly screamed, panic causing her to scoot her seat all the way back.

And that confirmed it. Not 'Itachi." No, the girl had recognized him and reacted with his name. This was definitely his Sakura Haruno. He wasn't about to let her get away. None of them would.

"Tsukiyomi."

His Sharingan blurred to life, its six points capturing the entire room with ease.

* * *

><p><em>CHA! That's what Sasuke becomes! How could you <em>ever_ want Naruto after seeing _that?

Shannaro chan remained as always, in her head. Even within the confines of the Tsukiyomi her inner self remained intact. However, Sakura noted that she had grown to her actual age inside the confines of Sasuke's most dreaded attack. Shannaro-chan then noticed her own older form. Had she eyes, they would've bulged. _'Wow... that is what we'll look like someday?" _

Sakura nodded slowly, but then turned her attention to more pressing matters. "Come on Sasuke. You've got your seventy two hours."

"Che." Came a voice from the darkness.

Involuntarily, Sakura gulped. That hadn't been the good 'che' or even the mildly pissed off 'ch' that he sometimes gave when he was really irritated. No. That particular 'che' usually meant that Sasuke intended to be _ruthless. _She was suddenly uncomfortably aware of the fact that she'd never actually _beaten_ the Hokage in a fight and she was stuck directly in the middle of his unbreakable genjutsu.

"Why Sakura? Why would you abandon Konoha? Abandon your home?"

Sakura glared at the darkness, irritated that Sasuke wasn't showing his face. "Why would you care? Besides, I'm still in Konoha."

"That's not what I mean and you know it." Sasuke replied.

Folding her arms and dropping the ready position she'd unconsciously sunk into -it wouldn't be any help anyway- she retorted. "Well with you traipsing through every girl that you could get your hands on I figured I'd go find fresher waters."

"And for that you leave and jump off the edge of the world! What were you thinking?" His words were harsh, and surprisingly emotional. For Sasuke that meant they were just a single hair above monotone, but still. It showed... something.

"And you still haven't answered why you _care._ Go back home and repopulate your damn clan. What does one barren girl matter?"

"You always mattered."

Bitterly Sakura folded her arms beneath her breasts, idly noting that she enjoyed the feel of actually _having _them again. "Yeah. Me and all forty of the other girls you've been with since. How many are pregnant Uchiha?"

She expected the accusation to make him wilt, possibly even embarrass him or back him into a corner. It didn't.

"Sakura." His voice was calm and surprisingly contrite. "I must remake my clan. My nindo will not allow otherwise... but... I dreamed... Wished that it could be with you."

Sakura for her part, did her best not to be moved by the words. I must remake my clan. Pah! I _'must_' sleep around was what he was trying to say. Yes it was a ninja world, and death could come at any moment. But that didn't mean there was no room left for romance. That didn't mean love could be simply ignored.

But to him, apparently it did.

She turned away from where his voice last emanated and shrugged. "That... would've been nice..." She replied calmly.

"It could be again..."

Her heart twinged, and instead of outright denying his words as she sorely wished to, instead she laughed it off. "I'm a little young for you."

"Not with me. I'm dying Sakura."

Her eyes widened involuntarily. "What! Why? How?"

"Not just me... the world... the world you left behind is being erased. I didn't understand before, but I think I do now. You changed the past; you rewrote the future. The edge began to consume the elemental countries days after you left. In weeks Fire country was all that remained. The walls of Konoha themselves were sliding into the Eternal Storm just before I managed to summon myself to you. And my power drains with each minute..."

'_W-what...?'_

Suddenly the dark world of the Mangekyo became a vision of Konoha seen from the top of the Hokage monument. In the distance in any direction Sakura could see the Eternal Storm and the edge of the world... dangerously close to her home.

Below, the ground roiled like an earthquake and then tumbled out of view, coming ever closer.

Lighting struck the sky but no thunder. No rain. Above her there was sunlight, and an almost perfectly cirular ring of blue sky, surrounded by the dark clouds of the Storm.

Beyond the edge... there was nothing. No forest. No land... nothing but darkness.

"I... did this? By going back in time did I doom my entire world?" She whispered, unable to believe, but still unable to deny the plausibility.

"I'm... sorry." She whispered as she sunk to her knees. "My home..." She reached out, as if to touch the image. Below she saw ninja, smaller than ants from her vantage. Flashes of light, desperately trying to hold the earth together before the ninja tumbled over the edge in failure.

"It doesn't matter." The Uchiha replied, and the image vanished, leaving Sakura in darkness.

"How could you say that? Of course it matters! I never meant to... to..."

An arm suddenly laced around her and Sakura felt her heart race. "Sakura... it doesn't matter. Everyone is alive. Everyone has a chance to do things as they should've been."

"I... I guess..." She hesitated. Turning, she saw him. Inner Sakura squealed in delight, and Sakura couldn't deny that despite his assholish nature his appearance still held the same sway over her heart that it had in her youth.

'_Am I really so shallow? You don't care about me...' _

"Sakura. I abandoned my city to follow you. I abandoned my people. I abandoned everything, to see you one more time. I was jealous that you killed Itachi and I... am..." the words strained on the end of his tongue. The one phrase that she always wanted him to say. "..._Sorry._"

Tears came to the pink haired girl's eyes. Unwillingly. Her mind spat a thousand responses of rejection and her heart held every one of them. _'Who is this romantic man? Where was he when I gave him everything?'_

"Sakura... This is my last chance. Let me do something right. Just once."

"S-Sas..." Tears trailed down her cheeks now.

She grasped him, falling into arms that had held her before, but never like this. Never like this. She kissed him, and he returned it. Warmth flowed into her, emotion that the cold Uchiha had never before provoked.

Seventy two hours...

The last coherent thought Sakura had as her shirt slid down her shoulder, was of how useful the Tsukiyomi could really be.

* * *

><p>"<em>Itachi..." <em>The boy hissed, his voice dripping with venom.

"I'm not Itachi." The darkness replied.

Sasuke spun and flung kunai into the darkness. No clang. No thunk. It was as if the shadow had swallowed him whole.

This was the technique Itachi had used. This was the Tsukiyomi... the same thing he had used to show him the deaths of his parents and family over, and over, and over again.

"I'm not Itachi." The voice said again.

"There aren't any other Uchiha left. No one else could use this technique! If you're not Itachi then who are you!"

A man appeared, and Sasuke started. He didn't lose his stance, but he was surprised. The face wasn't that of Itachi. No... the angle was wrong. The shape... that shape that haunted his dreams. The Tsukiyomi... this man's eyes were different. The face was... slightly different.

But still familiar. Very familiar.

"Sasuke..." The man said lowly. "There is something... I want you to do. Something... I want you to know."

Sasuke's eyes widened. The darkness of Tsukiyomi brightened upon a scene...

And images began to flow.

* * *

><p>"Naruto."<p>

"What the hell happened? Fox! Is this you're fault?" Naruto shouted into the darkness, irritated beyond belief. "I've got a test to finish, you damn furball, and I'm not going to fail because of you."

"Naruto, shut up." The voice was commanding. As always, Naruto didn't give a shit.

"Who the hell are you!" He hissed, pointing in his ever enthusiastic way towards the man that appeared as if from no where. The room was _bathed_in killing intent, but Naruto didn't even seem to notice.

"Hehe. You're just like I remember..."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!" Naruto barked. "What happened to the exam!"

The man began to casually walk towards the blonde shinobi, and finally Naruto showed a bit of sensed. He backed up, one small step. Then, as if angry with himself, he pushed forward. "What did you do...?"

The man dissappeared then, but Naruto had not time to express his shock before the man appeared before him. Kneeling.

"Gaaah!" Naruto shouted, falling onto his ass with a loud thump. "The hell was that for! What is this place! Who are you?"

"Heh. Don't recognize me? Dobe?"

Naruto's eyes popped. "S-Sasuke! You're so old!"

Sasuke scowled. "Shut up, Naruto... This is important."

"Are you gonna help me with the test? How the heck did you do this? Hey, is this a trick of you're sharingan eye thingy? Why didn't you tell me about it before! We've been training together for weeks and-!"

"Naruto!" The exasperated Hokage exclaimed interrupting the hyperactive idiot. "Look. You won't understand now... and you probably never will. But I came here to say thank you. You saved my life once. And I just wanted to repay you... before I'm gone."

"S-Sasuke...? You're kinda freaking me out, Teme."

And then Naruto's jaw dropped, as the man rolled his fingers up to his face in a slow, deathly manner.

"H-hey... don't... don't do-! NO!"

The older Sasuke's fingers closed around his own eye and plucked it out, veins detaching with a spaghetti-like smack.

"S-Sasuke! You can't be Sasuke!"

Blood dribbled down the Uchiha's face, and yet the man was smiling in a sadistic sort of way that _still _reminded Naruto of his rival and teammate. When the man had been threatening him he'd been okay... but this... this was just freaky.

The man turned his still working eye towards the blonde. "Your turn."

Now, Naruto was scared. Honestly and truly scared. He backed away and didn't feel any of the usual shame that came with it.

"You'll thank me. I promise."

It would be hours before Naruto stopped screaming.

* * *

><p>Morino Ibiki jerked. Twitched. For a moment he thought something was wrong. Something was...<p>

No. Just his imagination.

Glancing around the room he stared at the kids, happily penning away their answers and doing their best to cheat. He'd caught nearly all of them at least once but he wasn't a proctor. The red-haired Sand boy was clever. As was the yamanaka. A few others were particularly impressive as well, but he saw through almost all of them.

A nagging feeling remained in the back of his mind for a moment that something was wrong. A... a man? Had a man appeared?

No. Still his imagination.

Oh well.

He continued his scan of the room. Like everyone else, he would never remember seeing a man he'd mistaken for Itachi Uchiha crumble into ash.

But three students, curiously completely passed out in their chairs, would.

* * *

><p>Sakura's eyes fluttered open. Drool trailed down her cheeks onto a completed exam sheet. Her eyes were bloodshot. It felt like it had been days, and to her it had. She felt sore in places she couldn't even really use yet, and she felt warm in ways she'd never felt.<p>

_Sakura...?_ Said a small voice in her head.

'Shannaro chan?' The girl thought, guiltily realizing she'd forgotten about the effect her... _actions... _might have on the personality.

_That... was... awesome..._ The girl breathed, as if she'd just run a marathon. _Best. Day. Ever._

Sakura's eyes welled, and she stared up at the ceiling, wishing she could see the sky beyond.

"Yeah... yeah it was."

…

"Goodbye, Sasuke."

Several chairs away, a wide-eyed thirteen year old boy opened his eyes, and his sharingan spun.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

Well I'm in Tokyo yall. Its fricking awesome. I can't wait to visit the evangelion store! I'm going to an anime con. I've never been to one before! I must go! I wonder if I can meet the maker of Ranma. Is Rimuko Takahashi still alive? I'm sure she is. She probably doesn't speak english...

Oh! Going to an Onsen! Oh! And climbing mt. fuji! That's coming up in a few weeks! The trains are awesome! They're so smooth! Bit... bit crowded But still! Driving on the left is weird. The toilets are just... strange.

The FOOD! CoCo's Curry! Onegaishimasu!

Oh. I'm babbling. My bad...

Well that chapter should throw you for a loop. Wonder what you think. It was a short arc that's going to have some major effects. No, I'm not writing the lemon. I'm too lazy.

More Gaara next chapter, and Hinata too. Lee is so much fun to write.

Well tell me what you think! **Leave a review!**

**Till Next!**

**MB**


	9. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer: **Shit not mine.

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

><p><em>Things... never happen the same way twice. - Aslan<br>Because if they do, they get boring really, really fast. - MB Extension_

* * *

><p>The Kyuubi no Kitsune was irritated. Not overly so but a little bit. His host, a girl whose age appeared to be thirteen years old, and for the past recent while she had been doing everything according to plan.<p>

She'd been bringing her team together and by doing so, bringing the boy the happiness that he so rightly deserved, while simultaneously keeping _him_ from turning into a power-hungry beast like he had been so close to becoming last time.

Now the nine tailed beast's goal in returning to the past had been vague to begin with. Make Naruto Happy. Give him the best possible chance to have the life he deserved. Repay him for all the hardship he had undergone by holding Kyuubi within himself. And repay him for saving the life of the demon.

The girl had been doing just that.

Then something followed them.

Sasuke Uchiha, who had apparently stolen Naruto's dream of becoming Hokage in his absence, had abandoned his old world to follow Sakura. This had thrown the girl's emotions for a loop, and now she was questioning her choice in being in the past. Questioning who she belonged with.

Fortunately, that older Sasuke, a relic of a nonexistent world now, had faded into the nothingness, but his visit had left Sakura Haruno conflicted.

This wouldn't do.

Without explicitly stating it, Kyuubi had intended the girl to become the mother of the gaki's children. And she would, if he had anything to say about it. With her first child, Kyuubi would latch on... Not the child of Sakura, no. Kyuubi would be _born again! _Not a Jinchuuriki... no, a living breathing human Ninetails, free from the cursed constraints of his own stigma. As a human he would not succumb to the rage that dominated his true form. He would keep his precious, precious emotions... and yet also keep his immortality. All while finally giving Naruto Uzumaki what he had always wanted.

A malicious plan... A plan the old Kyuubi would not have thought twice about.

Ultimately, he wished for Naruto to be _happy. _That concept. So foreign to him, ate into his soul. He could influence Sakura. _He could._ He was free inside her, unlike the prison that had held him within Naruto. It wouldn't take much... just a tweak here. A nudge there, and Sakura would be whatever Naruto wanted her to be. The perfect mate for him... the perfect mother for the new Kyuubi...

But...

But...

"_Curse this emotion!" _He hissed to himself, as he lounged in the veritable continent that Sakura's Ki supply had become.

If he changed Sakura... if he turned her into something she wasn't. Some lovesick girl pining for Naruto when the emotion wasn't truly her own, then he would be doing the same thing to her that he so desperately wished to avoid happening to him.

Mindlessness.

The great beast roared in frustration and rolled around across the landscape hissing and barking in anger. An emotion he knew well. He knew to his soul, that guilt was far stronger a thing.

After what seemed an eternity of wrestling with his own anger, the great being calmed. Somewhat. Inside, he spoke as if to reassure himself. "Sakura too, sacrificed her life to aid me... I cannot repay her by taking her freedom."

Silently he gazed out the windows of his small world. Sakura's conflicted thoughts blazed in front of his eyes like an open book. The girl had _allowed_ Naruto the opportunity to leave her. By granting the dark haired 'white-eyes' the chance, she provoked the possibility that Naruto would forget her.

Then another thought crept into the aged beast's mind. What If Naruto would be truly happy with the 'White-eyes?' For all his time spent within the blonde, Kyuubi really couldn't say what truly made Naruto happy. He'd had too much anger... so much time wasted.

Finally, the Kyuubi hissed a final bark. A _loud bark_.

"K-Kyuubi?" Sakura's voice echoed within her own mind. A stab of white hot anger poking into her startled her awake, like a pin poked into a sleeping cat. The girl was surprised. Good. It wouldn't do for her to forget that he was here, buried just beneath her skin.

"You would discard Naruto for the Uchiha once again...?" The fox hissed, his voice echoing throughout her mind.

"_No! No, It's not LIKE that!" _She hissed indignantly, but then hesitated. "I... I don't... know what I feel..." She admitted. Kyuubi was struck by how young she seemed. How frail. It was actually a bit cute. Like a baby fox failing to catch its first rabbit because it was distracted by a different one.

Still. Kyuubi hardened himself. Sympathy would not do here. He would be wise... Curse it all, but he would be _wise. Never mindless. Never again._

"Choose well girl... You will have your chance for happiness, with whomever you chose. But a warning. Should your joy come at the expense of his... I will burn your soul to ashes..."

Suddenly, the baby fox of a girl became a wolfhound. Green eyes narrowed to slits, and had he been able to see them, Kyuubi might've shivered.

"Burn my soul and you will harm Naruto more than I ever could... Kyuubi. I will make him happy. With me or with another, he will achieve every dream he's ever had... And not because you threaten me, but because I love him. I swear it."

Satisfaction burned within the giant demon. Oh _gods_ had he chosen a wonderful host! He might come to like her as much as he liked the idiot! If Sakura could have seen the Kyuubi at that moment, she would have seen a mile wide smirk cross his vicious jaw.

"Very well."

* * *

><p>Naruto came out of the Tsukiyomi shuddering. The pain was gone, but the effects were still there. And he could... <em>see things. <em>

_Third shinobi on my left. Penstrokes, raise fingers three degrees. Lower to bottom point then slide right. "L" Swirl the hand, tail at the end. "a" Concentrated focus on the arch. "n" Circular swirl followed by a line positioned to the right. "d" _All of this came at rapid fire instantaneous messaging and before he knew it Naruto had copied the man's penstrokes and written the word "Land" in a handwriting that was _not_ his own. He blinked.

But it didn't just stop there. Everywhere he glanced he found his eyes copying the penstrokes. The furtive looks of pensive apprehension. He could copy those to the exact same effect. The intimidating looks of the proctors and the irritable grin of Morino Ibiki as he surveyed them like a falcon eyeing a rat.

"How do I make it stop!"

"_To cease functionality, concentrate chakra away from the eyes." _It wasn't actually a voice that spoke to him. No words crossed his mind but the feelings conveyed in a strange sort of monotone implied that this was what he should do. It was still enough to irritate him. Instruction, _good instruction_, was usually all he ever wanted. Sasuke had apparently been gifted with eyes that mimicked 'instinct."

Even so, he complied with the command, and found the world fading back into normal view.

"That Uchiha..." He thought gravely. "It was Sasuke. But older... so much older. If it weren't for these eyes I'd think it had all been a nightmare."

"_Take care of them, Naruto. Your precious people. Sakura wants to make your dreams come true. To make you happy. For her, I want to make you strong. I know you're in pain but this is all the strength I can give you. Goodbye... Dobe." _

Older Sasuke's last words. Uttered soon after Naruto had finally stopped screaming. They had filled the world and Naruto's mind with a sense of clarity that had almost pushed out the nearly unbearable pain of having his eyes removed. Going completely blind, and then the fear as vision, _different_ vision_, _returned to him.

Looking up, he took in his surroundings acknowledging that somehow the test seemed to still be happening. Somehow he wasn't surprised. With everything else, the fact that no time seemed to have passed while he'd had his _eyes plucked out_ was barely a footnote. Hinata next to him seemed to be filling out her answers with difficulty. It seemed she actually knew how to solve these ridiculous problems due to her incessant erasing but he couldn't make heads or tales of them.

Sakura would probably know how to do this...

Staring down at the Pink haired girl below he wondered. Giggled a bit. The girl was sleeping. Literally completely passed out atop her test. Proctors were glaring at her something fierce. It was as if they were offended by her obvious nonchalance. Poking out from under her elbow was the tail end of her test which looked to be completed.

Sakura had always been smart. Maybe she'd know something about _'Older Sasuke.' _

He glanced up at the clock noting that he had almost fifteen minutes left, and was well aware that despite his new eyes he had no idea how to get the answers to this stupid test.

"_Stupid Older Sasuke... If he wanted to help me he should've given me the answers to this test! Not stupid Uchiha eyes." _

Naruto chanced a glance over towards Sasuke and found him looking back knowingly. The boy's eyes flashed into his Sharingan for a moment and then back. Kinda like a signal of some sort.

The Uchiha rolled his eyes and looked back towards his mostly completed paper. Naruto narrowed his eyes. How the hell had the bastard figured out this questions! _"Hmm. What would Sasuke do in a situation like this? Probably just turn on his cheat eyes and... copy..." _

"That's it!" He nearly exclaimed but just managed to stop himself. Even so he grinned within his mind, loudly shouting in joy. Hunting around for someone who's pencil was still moving he set his course. He'd use these new eyes to find the answers he needed. In retrospect, sometimes it really sucked when all of your moves were obnoxiously loud and noticeable. He might have to work on some sneakier abilities in the future.

Surprisingly, most of the class still seemed to be copying answers. Except Sakura who was still gleefully sleeping. Naruto felt a tick form on his own eyebrow before he settled down. It was unfair that she could be so ridiculously good at this crap. Annoying...

He found one of the older students who was still writing answers down and decided he would be the best choice. Erasing the word 'land' from his test, he pushed chakra into his eyes again and suddenly he could 'see.'

The man was working on question seven. That sucked but it was alright.

As the man wrote, Naruto copied following his handwriting with an uncanny precision. The eyes were unbelievably powerful. He found it copying more than just the hand movements but facial expressions once more. Any movement executed by a human Naruto was suddenly perfectly capable of replicating.

In retrospect it was no wonder the Uchiha seemed so stoic. That was probably the only emotion he could use to actually be original! If he was copying everyone then it could easily become impossible to distinguish between when you wanted to act like yourself and someone else!

"_Wait that's not right. Sasuke's only had the Sharingan for a little while now." _Naruto thought as he wrote.

As soon as the man finished question nine Naruto turned off his cheat eyes. Taking another glance back at Sasuke, he saw the other boy shoot him a smirk. Then, he nodded and turned back to his own, completed paper.

Hmm. Seemed that Sasuke knew about Naruto's new eyes. Weird.

Feeling that three questions complete and to the best of his knowledge correct, and also unwilling to risk using the cheat eyes for fear of getting caught, he decided to kick back and enjoy the rest of the test watching the others struggle.

Ino Yamanaka was getting seriously agitated. Thus far she hadn't been able to use her Jutsu on anyone successfully. Forehead girl was busy freaking 'sleeping,' and the technique didn't work on sleeping targets. Well... there _were_ Yamanaka techniques that worked on sleeping targets but she... hadn't learned them. She'd been too lazy...

"_Damn you Shikamaru..." _She hissed, internally blaming him for her current plight. If she'd just focused a little more than maybe this would be easy! Instead she'd slacked off with the genius genin and now she was paying the price.

Problem was no one was within her range. Literally. Everyone within two seats of her had been kicked out except for two guys, both of whom still didn't seem to have figured out that you were 'supposed' to cheat.

She'd used her jutsu on both of them and found scratches all over the first guy's page where he'd attempted to find the right answer on his own and failed. The second one seemed to have something on one of the questions but his handwriting was barely legible. She copied what he had, but upon further examination, realized that it was completely 'wrong!'

Worse, both of their mindscapes had been stock Konoha forest, meaning that they rarely, if ever sorted their thoughts making them somewhat difficult to control. Curiously, the more organized and meticulous a person was with their mind, the better Yamanaka techniques worked. That was one of the reasons she'd never _dare_ attempting her jutsu on Naruto.

She'd seen his pranks. They were unpredictable, and sometimes flat out impossible. Someone whose mind could come up with a way to paint the entire Hokage Monument without _anyone_ noticing was _not_ someone she wanted to attempt to wrestle in their own mindscape.

Truthfully she wasn't _entirely_ out of nearby targets yet. Just in front of her, and a few seats away from the snoozing form of Sakura, sat a red-haired child with 'Love' tattooed to his forehead in red ink.

'_Creepy.' _Thought the blonde. '_Who the fuck does that?'_

But he seemed meticulous enough, and his test was completed. She was running out of time and she had to get her answers to Chouji if she wanted to continue on to the next round too. The only reason she hadn't tried to tag him before was that he _kinda _scared her. He had a strange sort of vibe about him that simply _screamed _'don't fuck with me.'

Still creepy though.

'_I guess I've got no choice._' She thought to herself, reaching a decision. She was a ninja, and wasting time deliberating could be just as dangerous as not acting. She refused to lose to Sakura so this was the only option.

"_Shintenshin no jutsu." _She whispered, and her body fell prone.

Following down a tube of transient chakra, her soul blitzed through, unknowingly one of the first techniques to ever breech his impenetrable sand defense, and landed within the confines of his mindscape.

She stood up unsurprised to find herself in a gigantic desert and found memory bubbles floating around on numerous sheets of wind. "Well, he is from Hidden Sand." She reasoned.

Laying on the ground nearby Gaara appeared to be sleeping, wrapped in a pair of dissecting chains that covered his body and left him paralyzed an unaware.

"Hmm. Might've spoke to soon. You are pretty cute." She told the redhead's sleeping form with a casual wink. "Just hope you know the answers to this test. I'm pretty screwed if you don't."

Turning her back on him, she walked towards the control center that everyone held somewhere within their mind.

She didn't notice the redhead's eyes slide open to watch her, nor did she hear the questioning words that followed after.

'I'm... _cute_?'

* * *

><p>"<em>AhhhhhhhhH!" <em>

The nearly incoherent screamed like a banshee blonde as she made a mad dash to escape the mile wide reach of an enormous monster that came with a pale imitation of the figure of a raccoon.

"The fuck is going on!" She screamed as she used Kawarimi to replace a thought bubble, narrowly dodging yet another gigantic claw as it cleaved the sand from the earth.

"Wh-what is this thing...?" Ino thought, terrified as she stared up at the twenty story monster that had risen from the depths of nothing as soon as she entered the village of the redhead's mindscape.

Panic had robbed her of her free thought, and it took time for her to remove herself from another's mind. Time she didn't have while dodging a deadly monster buried inside this boy's brain.

"God help me..." She shuddered as the great creature rose to its full height, staring at its palm as sand fell in mountains from the cracks between its fingers. It didn't seem to notice she had escaped but that wouldn't last long.

"I'm running low on Chakra as it is... okay. What would Shika do?" She thought to herself, her breath coming in sharp gasps at the first break in the near three miles she'd had to run straight to keep the creature from eating her like a tiny berry.

"_HAAA! Cute little morsel! Why are you running away...!" _The demon shouted and the words rung in her ears. She sank to her knees clutching them and desperately trying to think of a way to survive.

"Bunshin!" She screamed and three copies of herself appeared.

"Run!" She told them, unnecessarily as they were already flying in opposite directions.

"Hmmm! It splits! Haaah! Well If I can't get out, maybe I'll just keep you in here and let you entertain me till the medium lets me kill again..."

The beast ran off to chase one of the fakes, thankfully, and Ino saw her chance.

"I've gotta get out of here... Go..." Concentrating, her breath coming in in sharp gasps she went through the motions of the technique that allowed her to relinquish control.

A ray of white light beamed from her soul, erupting out through the confines of this devilish boy's mind, and abruptly guttered, failing as the light seemed to veer off course, sliding directly into the huge mouth of the monster.

"_I-Impossible!"_ She hissed.

The beast made that awful screech again, revelling in the feel of blocking the human's exit from his prison. "It'll take more strength than that to break out of _this_ desert, little mindwalker."

The creature then took off again, barrelling after another of her counterparts. In two gigantic bounds he had covered the near half a mile the blonde had run and sliced his claws through her, growling in frustration as they passed through the second copy.

"_Not much time..."_ She thought. _'Why? Why isn't it working?'_

As a lucky stroke the beast took after the last running target heading in the opposite direction from her. She had no options. She could only try again, but this time it would have to be stronger.

"O goddess of the intuition and wisdom, hear me! Aide me! Free me from this wretched mind!" She whispered a silent prayer as her hands flashed in a memorized combination of seals meant to hone chakra and taught so many times that she barely even had to think about them.

"Shintenshin." She whispered.

Like a round leaving the barrel of a shotgun, she felt her mind propel forward. The landscape became fuzzy, as if seeing it through a glass tube. She'd done it! She was leaving and soon she would be-!

An audible crunch echoed in the desert as her body slammed into a veritable wall of black chakra, crushed. Pain erupted throughout her nerves and her mind flared with terror.

'_Gods, he's going to kill me. I'm going to be one of those stories dad always tells... A soulless shell!" _She screamed in her own mind, horrified at what this foolish plan had done to her.

Focus returned slowly, and when it came she wished- _oh she wished! -_that it had not.

Standing above sat the mad eyes of a ten story raccoon monster. Its breath sent putrid waves of noxious gas down her nostrils and its grin made her more sick than the breath.

And its eyes...

Demon's eyes...

"_Heeee!" _The beast wailed in delight. _"Goodbye... little mindwalker...!" _

Ino Yamanaka gave up... she fell to the ground as the creatures claw raised into the air for what would be a fatal blow. Dead... her body left to rot without her soul to give it life. Her fate set, she resigned as the colossal claw blotted out the sun the red-head's mind had conjured. It fell with unbelievable speed, and Ino shut her eyes with a wince... a whimper. Sliding her back against a rock, she slid a feeble hand into the air, instinctually protecting her eyes.

The booming echo that erupted made the Yamanaka unsure if she was actually dead. Like the sound of a falling skyscraper, the claw landed...

And she only felt the touch of sand falling on her skin.

Tentatively, she opened her eyes. And there, standing above her, his cloak waving in the faux wind produced by his own mind, stood the red-haired boy his hand outstretched in anger. Somehow, impossibly, his tiny palm held back the undeniable might of the great beast.

"No." He said simply. "I don't want to kill this one..."

The beast didn't like that. Not at all.

A scream, louder than any Ino had heard before, deafened her with it words. So loud, so hate filled, and so very very angry that she could hardly stand it. For the second time, she curled up and covered her ears, tears of fear trailing uncontrollably down her cheeks.

"You _exist to kill! This one is not your mother! This one doesn't love you... as I do! Kill her! Kill-!"_

"No."

Said the redhead. The word was quiet really. Quiet. But somehow it seemed louder than even the beast.

Ino shuddered on the ground spasming in horror as she realized that her fate lay in the hands of the boy who only a short time ago, lay in chains trapped by her jutsu. But... he'd saved her life...

The monster knelt down, its head falling and falling like some giant elevator until its eyes, both easily twice the size of the redhead met him. "Kill her..." It demanded. "She attacked you. She does not love you... she will prove your existence... Let me devour her soul."

"_No." _

Again the simple word seemed to take the demon by storm. As if it were an actual punch, the great beast spasmed backwards and hissed, once again burning Ino's delicate eardrums. Scrambling in the sand like a giant bug, the monster hissed once more...

Then, it faded away. In the same way it had appeared, it fled.

Slowly... ever so very slowly... Ino lifted her eyes.

In moments she found them connected with the dark-eyed boy's own, frozen in fear. Only then did the full implication of what was happening truly occur to her. She was caught inside someone's mind, and the chains were off. The _chains_ were _off. _

Normally the act of ripping the chains off was enough to break the connection sending the Yamanaka flying back to his or her own soul with no damage. This boy however... seemed to defy all logic.

The Yamanaka's soul was a 'part' of the red-head's mind now. And in one's own mind they controlled all. Without the chains, she was more a prisoner of this boy than even the demon he seemed to keep housed here. From the frying pan and into the fire. It would almost be better to be dead, rather than a slave to whatever a boy who held such a monster in his mind might conjure for her. Whatever he thought of her, it would become true. If he wished her to love him she would. If he wanted her to be his maid, his masseuse or his concubine she would be. If... if he wanted her to remain trapped here for eternity... she would. Anything he could imagine of her, would become her reality.

"My name is Gaara of the Desert. You called me... cute. What is that?" The redhead demanded, arms folded stoically in front of his chest.

Of all the possible things Ino Yamanaka had expected, that was the absolute _last._

* * *

><p>Ino snapped her eyes open. Barely willing to believe that she was alive, let alone in possession of her full mental capabilities, she patted herself down in a surprised sort of awe. Her gaze trailed down to the red-head. Gaara no Sabaku. Her captor, controller of her entire world for a short time, and her savior.<p>

He'd had every right to use her and destroy her to her very core. He could've rewritten her entire personality with a thought and sent her back to her body as a completely different person. Hell he could have done it without even _knowing_ he'd done so but instead he had let her go free. He hadn't the slightest thought of changing her.

Killing her perhaps. Changing her… hadn't even crossed his mind.

"I need to learn father's techniques. I _must_ learn." She hissed to herself. No more laziness. No more sitting around while Asuma and Shikamaru played Shogi. The Yamanaka's had many techniques to defend from the worrisome possibility of losing one's soul or having it rewritten by an unlucky encounter with an incredibly strong mind. She didn't know one. Somehow she'd thought the simple Shintenshin would be enough to get her through.

Not anymore.

Her eyes trailed across Sasuke, expecting a view of him to bring her some level of comfort as it often did. Daydreams were wonderful things but this time… something was different. She shuddered, knowing how close she had come to death or worse, enslavement. Somehow, staring at the Uchiha no longer held the same flavor as it had this very morning.

"_Where were you, Sasuke? My Knight? You didn't save jack shit…" _It was an unreasonable thought. Sasuke hadn't even _known_ she'd been waging an internal war, and given the circumstances she knew, or at least _believed_ that he would've rescued her before any of that horrible trauma had been visited upon her. _If he had known._ But her thoughts at that moment weren't exactly _reasonable. _Despite knowing there was nothing he could've done, she found herself resenting the fact that he hadn't saved her. Instead… someone else had. The very person she'd attacked.

Her eyes trailed to the red-haired boy. He remained unmoving, his face more stoic than even Sasuke's, his test unbearably completed before her. Yet… he really was cute. She gave him a smile, and it widened when she saw the slightest, _slightest _tinge of embarrassment color his eyes. He turned away, looking almost angry at himself for feeling the emotion.

Ino giggled, then turned back to her paper, Idly comparing the reaction to Sasuke. It would be a cold day in hell before _anything_ gave the Uchiha cause to blush. This boy though...? She liked him.

Then she took stock of her situation. Her face fell, and her laughing expression fell to despair. Her test. During the adrenaline rush of being rescued and released… meeting Gaara, she'd nearly forgotten her goal in the first place. She was going to lose. Sakura- the forehead girl was _still_ sleeping! –was going to beat her before she even had the chance to try.

Not a moment after she realized that she was doomed, the solution plopped right down into her lap. A small whirling sound alerted her to the presence of a strange ball of sand hovering just above her waist. For a moment, she gulped, thinking the redhead was planning revenge. Without warning, the ball popped becoming an eye that seemed crafted entirely of sand. Then, the eye stretched transforming once again, this time into a sort of… viewing portal. Mesmerized, she stared within the portal as an image began to appear.

Gaara no Sabaku's test… perfectly legible and for all she could tell correct, sitting right in front of her, yet hidden from the prying eyes of the exam proctors.

For a moment she stared in shocked bewilderment at the boy from an enemy village who willingly helped her answer these cursed questions. It was this _test_ that had put her in such a dangerous position in the first place! But now…? Now it seemed she'd not only made a new friend from a foreign nation, she very well might be hero worshiping him a bit.

Her smile this time, wasn't laced with the flirtiness that usually turned boys who weren't Sasuke into stuttering wreck's of nervousness. Instead it was a genuine, heartfelt, beam. Gaara, whom until that point she'd been almost certain _didn't know how_ to smile, sent a tiny grin back.

Ino filled out her test tiredly, yet quickly and prepared to slide into Chouji's mind to make sure he passed. He was probably more panicked then her!

The girl failed to notice another blond staring at her in near horror.

Temari of the Desert's jaw nearly dropped as Gaara's permanently expressionless face morphed into what might be called a smile towards the blonde Kunoichi. Yet another ninja she had mentally tossed aside as 'too weak to even be worth her time.' Now the blonde commanded her full attention and only one thought came to mind.

"_Legends… from behind every god damn pebble! This plan is insane!" _Visions of Suna burning beneath Konoha's mighty flames pierced her mind, and she trembled.

The hour was almost up. The clock ticked on…

* * *

><p>"You all Pass!"<p>

"_WHAT?" _Came a nearly unanimous reply of surprise and anger from most of the room.

The shout finally awoke Sakura, who'd literally slept through the entire briefing on the tenth question fifteen minutes prior. Her conversation with Kyuubi, and the dreams of Sasuke had kept her away from the exam for what felt like days. She rubbed her eyes and grinned as she slowly came to realize that she had passed with flying colors.

"_What a stupid test." _Shannaro-chan added. The girl seemed to have recovered from her sex-crazed stupor. The chat with Kyuubi had been enough to sober 'her.' Shannaro-chan was probably standing at attention inside her mind. _"You could literally pass it by sleeping. Walk in, and then give no shits, and you could pass. What kind of test has a loophole like that?"_

Sakura mentally beamed at her counterpart. '_No one points out the obvious to Morino. Did you find the time that I ended up in T&I in my memories? You can tell him he's doing it wrong all day and he won't change no matter what. And you've got to admit, it is pretty nerve wracking if you don't know the trick to it.'_

_Hmm. Haven't found that yet. _The girl replied with the sound of someone who planned on going on an expedition. Her presence seemed to vacate leaving Sakura alone to her thoughts, which quickly turned morbid at the memory of Sasuke and his irresistible touch. His romance. His smile... so rare.

But he'd smiled as he died.

Gazing upward, she wished him well. Maybe he had loved her after all. He'd very much seemed to. A sad man stuck between two dreams. Loving a woman who could never give him the family he'd always craved of forsaking that woman for a family with a woman he felt nothing for...

She could understand. A little.

But... in this world she wasn't barren. Not yet...

"Best start poppin em out soon." She thought to herself with a giggle. "Don't want things to go like they did last time... Damn you Orochimaru..."

Her battle with Orochimaru in her past life had gone well in that she had both lived to tell the tale and left with the bragging rights of being one of the few people in the world to kill a Sannin. Curiously she'd been given the title Sannin after that feat by a surprisingly upbeat Sasuke. Upbeat meaning, his eyebrow moved more than a millimeter. However the bastard had a trick up his sleeve that Sakura suspected he hadn't even known about. During the fight he had successfully managed to poison her. Foolish, to poison a girl who had once been an aspiring medic-nin but the Sannin had done so. She had healed herself but the poison had left a rather awful side-effect. She would be childless for the rest of her days. A rather daunting prospect to a girl who had dreamed of marrying Sasuke Uchiha. That was before she'd fought Itachi, and Sasuke began to distance himself from her in order to continue his clan.

It was hard to forget... those times when the two of them had been close. Before Itachi. Especially after what had just happened in her mind for the past three days. Sasuke had still loved her. Always loved her apparently. And even though he'd put his dream of reviving her clan before her, in the end it was her that he sought out. Her mind told her it was petty. He was going to die anyway so he wanted to get his jollies before the end! But her heart told her differently. He'd spent 'months' preparing to find her. Months with his nose in books, neglecting his duties as a Hokage... and neglecting the women pregnant with his future children.

Irritating as it was to her pragmatic sensibility that still meant something. Sasuke cared for her, and apparently, he wanted to do right by her.

Which probably explained why the younger Sasuke had barely been able to take his eyes off her since she'd awakened.

Sakura found herself bored as the proceedings followed their normal course. Anko burst in, as expected from her memories and the woman was far less disappointed in Morino Ibiki this time considering how many teams had failed without Naruto's inspiring speech.

As she reunited with her team, stretching her arms behind her neck, she walked carelessly, while inside she was a storm of worry. The forest of death. Were they ready? Could they handle Orochimaru now, or would they be able to escape without him pressing his seal into Sasuke's neck?

Would they die? Just because they had survived once did not put them in any less danger. Maybe she should've told the Sandaime after all...

...No. He'd lock her up in the loony bin right up until her predictions came true. Hell, maybe she should've just not showed up today. Pretended the coward and gotten her team failed, depriving Orochimaru of his chance.

'_I'm babbling in my own mind. What if's are useless. There is only 'what is',' _She thought to herself with a determined beam.

Both Naruto and Sasuke questioned her with their eyes but neither said anything. Both were content to wait for the next phase of the exam. When Anko announced what the test would entail, only Naruto seemed surprised. While hard to read normally, Sakura could easily discipher the boy's expressions and not the slightest hint of surprise crossed his face. Her Sasuke 'had' given him memories. He seemed... a little older.

Naruto on the other hand, screamed like a baby. "I don't have enough Ramen for that!"

Sakura gave a cheshire grin. "No worries Naruto. Got enough Ramen for a month in here!" She said to the boy pointing out one of her pockets, and letting a few storage seals show to the blonde boy. Predictably, the boy's eyes watered. "Y-you're the best girl ever Sakura-chaaan..." He mewled cutely, and Sakura laughed.

"Dattebayo!" She beamed back at him with a thumbs up.

"Hey! That's mine!"

Sakura spent the time waiting for the forest examining her opponents. Surprisingly, Kabuto had failed. Strange... he'd seemed so nice before. But then,_ niceness_ didn't get a person though this test. Bad luck though. She idly wished she could take another look at those Ninja Cards. Those were pretty sweet! And wasn't Ino _sooo_ surprised to find out that _She_ had completed an A rank! Hah! Sakura suddenly realized what she was thinking and flushed in embarrassment. She was _supposed_ to be mature. It came to her then that maybe her memories of the past and her current ones hadn't completely synchronized after all.

'_I'm still me,' _She thought humbly. '_Just got lucky and have a badass in my head.' _

Kiba, Shino, and Hinata had passed, as had Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji. There was a slight difference there though. Ino... something was off with Ino. The girl kept stealing glances, not at Sasuke, but surprisingly enough at Gaara.

'_I wonder what that's all about,' _She thought, but then shrugged. Time would tell.

Her eyes wandered a bit more. Tenten shot her a smile, surprisingly, while Lee's teeth shined bright enough to make fire jutsu envious. Neji, as always, was stoic. Hardly the asshole that Sasuke could be, Sakura found herself hoping that Naruto would find a way to beat some sense into him. It was always Naruto who managed to beat sense into his opponents back then... er... now.

"I wonder what he's-!"

Sakura's world lurched and she teleported several feet backwards to the boy's side with alarming speed and cursed. She'd forgotten about that ability. Had to watch her thoughts there.

"Sakura... could you maybe not do that? It kinda freaks me out," Naruto asked calmly. He'd watched her do it several times before, often during their many spars and she had a funny feeling that it grated on his nerves to know that she could find him whenever she wanted. Actually she'd noticed that Naruto got annoyed with her on occasion now and she felt a little guilty about it. She didn't want to make him unhappy...

"S-sorry Naruto. I... do it on accident sometimes..." She replied casually. "I'll try to stop."

Fortunately it seemed no one had noticed, or if they had, they regarded it merely as a superb shunshin. Not terribly common amongst genin but nothing to be terribly upset over. Idly quashing Shino's tracker bug and dispelling a tracer placed on Naruto by the Sound team, Her eyes found more opponents as they walked towards their own gate.

Gaara eyed her with curiosity, and Temari was staring between Ino and the redhead with a nervous tick in her brow. Kankuro seemed unsurprised. They walked off in the other direction and she lost sight of them quickly.

The Grass team seemed nervous actually now that she had an older eye to survey them. Yes... nervous. Last time those genin had seemed so confident. A more experienced eye caught their confidence as bluster and bluff. They were afraid. They had every right to be... Orochimaru lurked within these woods, and she would see them safely out if she had anything to do with it. Konoha rarely had _any_contact with Grass. Perhaps an extra ally would be advantageous.

The Grass team split off as well and soon only she and her teammates were together, each waiting until they had the proper chance to speak to each other alone. Naruto kept opening his mouth and then closing it, realizing they were in the company of enemies. Sasuke seemed even _more_ eager if possible. His steps were quickened and though he'd noticed her teleportation for what it was, 'honest to god transportation without traversing the intervening space' he barely batted an eyebrow. He had to get into the forest and talk to her. He seemed nearly desperate.

Sakura had the notion of catching Sasuke in the compromising situation of needing to use the bathroom and had to hold back a laugh.

God why had she never loved life like this before? Could Kyuubi's influence truly have changed her so much? She was walking into a forest, ready to face one of the sannin with two near genin partners at the ripe and definitely _world wise_ age of thirteen, not to mention housing a beast crafted of pure anger who could crush her very soul with a thought... and she couldn't be happier.

The signal echoed throughout the training ground and the genin raced into the forest with heads held high, and Sakura's spirits soared.

It was not long before Sasuke stopped the party, as she knew it wouldn't be. Naruto, seemingly able to read the Uchiha's thoughts, stopped at the exact same time and turned to face her, landing softly upon the branch of a huge deciduous tree.

"Sakura..." Sasuke began.

"...We need to talk." The blonde finished.

Naruto's eyes spun with the Sharingan, and Sakura's jaw dropped in shock.

* * *

><p>Gaara of the Desert loved sleep. He absolutely 'loved' sleep. It was utterly amazing what a single full night's rest could do and he had never in his life felt a clear as he did right now.<p>

A single night's sleep could ease the sores of what seemed to be a lifetime. Two could change a persons worldviews entirely.

He'd gotten _three._

After the third day of rest, Gaara finally realized something that his sleep deprived mind had been utterly unable to grasp for the past four or five years or so. He was an utter, raving lunatic.

He knew how as well. Sakura Haruno. The pink-haired goddess of Konoha. Her gift it seemed was to displace active chakra. So instead of becoming a giant Tanuki monster and ravaging Konoha, a very very _large_ ball of condensed Chakra appeared in the night and hovered there, slowly dissipating like a dying star. Blue and shining light swirled with a bloody red to create a swirling mass of Chakra that had dwindled over the past few days. It still reminded Gaara of how wonderful sleep could truly be.

Without it, he had become susceptible to the ragings of the demon in his mind, and unfortunately he knew that he would do so again.

But it was _his_ mind. In his mind, he ruled all, despite what his _mother_ seemed to believe. His seal gave him control over her power, but not the power to block her influence. And Shukaku could be _very_ influential.

For now though, he was content. During the five days he would be in this forest, he planned to find her. Ask, force, even beg if he must, the girl to give him the night of dreams that he so longed for. Then he would marry her, and bring her back to Suna with him.

She would validate his existence... Yes. He didn't need to kill people... Well. Not too much. Some people really did deserve it though. His father, the pansy. Sending assassins, to afraid to try and off him himself.

But then... there was that other girl. The blonde who'd tried to infiltrate his mind. At first he'd been angry but then... curious. Who would so willingly traipse the mind of a monster such as him.

He grinned suddenly, knowing that Temari and Kankuro feared him, and also didn't understand what was truly happening to him. He grinned... thinking of the girl screaming her lungs off in his mindscape as she ran like a rabbit from his mo- Oh. There he went again... Keeping his clarity was... difficult. Even now he could hear the One Tailed beast whispering in the back of his mind. The monster was decidedly crazy, and angry that he had gained the upper hand in their eternal war for possession of his mind.

"G-Gaara? Are you... alright?" Temari ventured cautiously. "You've been a little... different since we met that pink girl. She didn't uhm... do anything to you did she?"

Gaara turned and faced her, his eyes hard as ever, his expression... expressionless. "She did."

"She... did?" Temari asked.

"She did," He repeated lowly. "She gave me Salvation. As long as I live, I shall never turn my hand against Konoha. This plan is over..."

Temari gulped reflexively. Inwardly though, she was relieved. If Konoha's _genin_ could stop Gaara... what could their Jounin do?

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

Okay. First of all thanks for your reviews! They're wonderful and I love them! Specially the ones that catch my plot holes as those are always little lovetaps straight to the groin. But I must request one thing...

...Please forget the pairing. If I haven't reeled you in already then you aren't coming back, and if I have you should trust me to give you a sexy, fun-filled plot with plenty of angst, romance, and fanservice to munch on. This story is about Sakura and Kyuubi by extension. The fact that Kyuubi's name is on the character list in NO way identifies this story as definitely Sakura/Kyuubi. It also doesn't mean it won't be. Nor does my last chapter mean that it HAS to be Sakura/Sasuke. I demand more depth from my own writing and I refuse to give away the ending because people are afraid it will turn out a way they don't like. I won't bash characters because I dislike them and I won't play favorites either... well. Not much. That goes double for the jerk who left the review asking for "Less Hinata please." Why of course, oh guest! Less Hinata? Wonderful! I'd _love_ to derail my entire plot to satisfy your request!

Bah...

Half tempted to write a whole Hinata chapter... _'grumbles.'_

_Anywho!_

**Shameless Plug: **So... I plan on asking my ladylove to marry me. Any tips on how I should go about it? And for the love of god don't leave them in a review. PM me please. My girlfriend might read this stuff.

I'm still writing obviously, and I appear to have a greater enthusiasm for it at the moment. Sorry to those looking for more Her War as inspiration on it is low. Commencing a reread of the fic to get a better grip on where it's going but the reread's at about 10% now so don't expect a new chapter very soon.

_His War_, for those of you who like Harry Potter fanfiction, is likely to be my next released chapter. Hope ya like it!

My book is growing. I'm setting a tentative date of release in fact, in my own mind anyway of September of next year. Fingers crossed on people liking it. I doubt its a best seller, but you never know! And even if its not... well, I've got more ideas cooking and a whole lifetime ahead of me to write them. Hope you'll all be around to read my original stuff just like you are for mah fanfics!

Hope you **Leave a Review!**

**Till Next!**

**MB**


	10. Chapter Nine

**Disclaimer: **Shit not mine.

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

><p>Kabuto was beyond pissed. <em>Beyond<em> pissed. Flames of rage licked his eyes as he stared down his companion for the duration of the test. His _ex-companion._

"You... god... damn... _idiot," He hissed, _his voice laced with acid. One hand outstretched, Kabuto held his hand firmly around the neck of a terrified Yoroi.

"Y-you're going to kill me? You won't make Chunin that way!" He exclaimed.

"I don't give a damn about Chunin! You think I couldn't've passed this test years ago if I wanted? All I needed was to get into the second round, but you had to go and _ruin_ that, didn't you?" The enraged medic nin bellowed hatefully.

At this, Yoroi realized that he was apparently being held captive by the medic nin. A nin that had thus far proven himself to not only be weaker than he and his teammate, but often-times a coward.

His fist closed around Kabuto's wrist and he planted his feet, firmly pushing to remove the weaker ninja's hold on his neck.

His arm didn't budge. He shoved again but the arm holding him seemed more like a tree limb or or a metal pole. He put more strength into the shove but still no matter the effort Kabuto's hand wouldn't move. Fear began to creep across his mind. "Wh-what are you... Aggghhh..."

Yoroi didn't even notice the feather light touch of a green chakra scalpel working its deadly magic around his neck. Instead he felt a vague sense of... dizziness. His throat felt strangely hot and suddenly his eyes began to droop. Sliding downwards he stared in fascination at the torrent of red liquid dying his shirt black.

'_Blood.' _He realized mutely. Why was blood flowing down his chest?

That would be his last thought.

Weeks would pass before the body of the chakra stealing ninja was found.

* * *

><p>"Sakura..."<p>

"...We need to talk."

Naruto and Sasuke took equal and opposite poses standing on the same huge tree branch together, arms folded across chests and eyes trained solely on Sakura. In truth, Naruto was copying Sasuke. Not imitating, literally copying. The Stance Of Cool, that he'd always been so freaking jealous of was now 'his to command!' He would be the awesome one!

Truthfully it was all he could do not to break the cold, hard eyed pose he knew that Sasuke probably perfected in front of mirrors. Instead he wanted dance and shout at the world that _he too_ had a Sharingan. He too was 'special.'

Maybe the villagers would cut him a break now. Their hateful eyes did get... overbearing at times.

Logically he knew how much bullshit the idea of him being special just for his eyes truly was. He told himself he wouldn't rely on the beastly set of cheat eyes but he was quite certain he was wrong. They were already so much god damn fun that he didn't think he'd be able to not use them for a week.

"Oh... Uhm... what do you want to talk about, you guys?" Sakura asked with a nervous grin. She scratched the back of her head in a way that Naruto was quite familiar with and it made her look both adorable and strangely guilty.

She tried to hide the shock at seeing a Sharingan spinning in Naruto's eye, but even the blonde was smart enough to catch on that she had been shocked out of her mind by that one. "Naruto is an Uchiha? Naruto... Uchiha?" She murmured disbelievingly.

"So... you're from the future." Sasuke said lowly.

"WHAT!?" Naruto burst, his cool utterly broken. "Sakura-chan is that true!?"

The girl bit her lip and Naruto found himself wanting to kiss her. He hadn't seen her look so vulnerable since... well... since she'd run away for three days after the first fight with Zabuza. That was around the time she started changing in fact. This realization crept in and his eyes widened.

"So... So, that's what happened after the fight with Zabuza! That's when you... when you changed." He said hesitantly, his sharingan searching her expression for signs of a lie without his conscious direction.

She hesitated, unsure of what to say. What to do. Her eyes kept wandering between Sasuke's piercing gaze and Naruto's three tomoe with a shudder.

"Well? Speak, dammit." Sasuke demanded. "Are you from the future or aren't you?"

The girl folded in on herself, her hands clenched together as if in a prayer. A silent plea. Naruto was shocked to see tears begin to well in her eyes, but the reaction alone was more of an answer than her words were.

"I... I'm sorry. I just... I..."

"Sakura? That night after we fought in Wave... what you said to me. Was it all a lie?" Naruto asked. Tears began welling in his own eyes as he thought back to the moments they had shared since Sakura had finally acknowledged him.

_"Naruto? I just wanted you to know… I acknowledge you. You're… gonna be great someday." _The words seemed half an eternity ago now spoken in a forest in the depths of night, but they burned through Naruto's memory, etched into his heart. The first _true_ acknowledgement he'd ever received, from his most precious person. It had been a crowning moment of awesome in a life that had never known praise.

_Built on a lie...?_

"_No!" _The pink haired girl hissed, holding both hands out as if to ward away the thought. "Naruto nothing I've ever said to you was a lie."

"Hnn." Sasuke injected with his usual sarcasm. To Sakura's and Naruto's shock, the boy brought the back of his hand to his lips in a girly sort of manner and spoke in a high pitched imitation of Sakura's voice.

_"I was afraid. I was so useless in the battle with Zabuza... I thought. I thought maybe I should just quit. But I'm over that now. I'm going to become stronger," _His voice then dropped to his own baritone. "What a load of shit."

Sakura growled, irritated at being outed for something mostly pointless. "What would you have done? Told the truth? Doubtful, Uchiha. Doubtful."

He smirked in his usual way and Sakura felt chills trail down her back. She'd been fucking a man with that smirk not three hours ago by her reckoning...

Unexpected emotion began to pour forth, probably from knowing that the man she'd once loved was well and truly dead, and probably a bit from knowing that she was responsible for it. The words reflected their conversation but her heart still dwelt on that one immobile fact.

"I... I just wanted to be the strong one for once! God... Do you have any idea what it's like to watch you two soaring above me, never able to do more than glance at your backs as you fly? Just... just once. I wanted to be better than you two. Just for a little while."

"S-Sakura-chan." Naruto's voice was calmer than one might expect but he was never very good at dealing with a crying girl.

"It won't be long now. You'll both probably go flying right past me again. Naruto... with a Sharingan? The world won't know what hit it. Sasuke... you were always the best. I've seen you destroy an entire hidden village, just wipe it off the map in five minutes. It was _awesome..._ and terrifying. And I'm just Sakura. Always third best," She spoke, trying not to inject self pity into her words and failing miserably.

It was an odd thing for Naruto to note that Sakura literally considered him better than she was. Did he really grow so much in her time? Sakura had become a sort of unattainable goddess among shinobi in Naruto's mind during their spars over the last few weeks. Her chakra control and the vast quantities of it that she could call forth at once were utterly astounding, to the point that Naruto had almost started to fear that she might be competition for his place as next Hokage! Seeing her match him clone for clone and watching her clones overwhelm his time and time again was a humbling experience for the boy. He'd thought that the Kyuubi had been the source of her new power. But to find out she came from the future...?

'_Hard to believe... believe it,' _He thought with a profound sense of enlightenment.

Through his now sharingan-enhanced eyes, he realized that the boy was also surprised. While they'd had a profound effect on him, Naruto watched his teammate drink in Sakura's words like a sober alcoholic. Could Sasuke really become so powerful... to wipe a hidden village out in five minutes on his own?

"And... did I... ever achieve my ambition?" The Uchiha asked, as if almost afraid of the answer.

The memories Sasuke received had been staggered. Misleading, all unerringly focused around his older self's interaction with Sakura. Their first kiss, gleamed in his mind's eye like a diamond. Viewings of their incredible battles that tore the countryside into shreds. Sakura Haruno: A taijutsu expert to match the Sage of Six Paths, with a bloodline even _he _was envious of at times... Yet she was outmatched by _him._ In them he'd seen amazing things... some nearly impossible. _Him? Hokage? _That was Naruto's dream! He'd almost feel guilty taking it from the dobe at this point. Plus... now that Naruto had Sharingan... he would have to become _not_ a dobe. Sasuke would have to see to that. Naruto would not _stain_ the Uchiha name.

Sakura hesitated, biting her lower lip again. "Itachi was... slain, yes. But-" The girl stopped as if unsure how to continue.

"_But?" _Sasuke prodded irritably. He _had_ to know.

'_No more lies Sakura,' _Shannaro-chan told her softly. _'This is your chance. You can be who you really are around these two now, if you just _Be Honest. _You're a bit of a habitual liar you know.'_

For once Sakura agreed, on both points.

"You... didn't kill him, Sasuke. I did."

Their split flashed through the Uchiha's mind. Sakura's anger, and the fact that she couldn't have children. Sasuke had been overwhelmed with rage both at himself and at her. He'd hated himself for wanting one specific girl, rather than following his dream to revive his clan, and he'd hated himself for choosing to abandon her in order to create a new generation of Uchiha. The scenes his elder self had shown him snapped into clarity. He _would've _resented her for stealing the kill that should've rightfully been his but...

A wind suddenly picked up, sliding through the trees around them and whipping Sakura's hair along with a gale of twigs and leaves. Her tears blew into the air, sunshine glinting down through the upper layer of foliage to catch them as they flew. And Sasuke knew... he knew what his older self had seen in this girl. Why he had so desperately sought Tsunade's advice in curing her sterility. Why the girl featured so prominently in almost all of the images his future self had given him.

He'd been almost madly in love with her. Sickening really.

"I suppose you hate me now like you did in the future," Sakura murmured wistfully as she wiped at her eyes, tears fading away for the moment.

Naruto for once was content to merely watch in silence as Sakura's secrets came falling free. His thoughts were awhirl with curiosity. He remembered well Sasuke's reply that day when they'd first become a team.

"_My dream... no. My ambition is to kill a certain man."_

Naruto gleaned this man's name after all these months for the first time. Itachi. So that was who Sasuke wanted to kill so badly.

'_Who the heck is that?' _He just stopped himself from voicing aloud.

Sasuke had been silent for a long time after Sakura's question, but finally he folded arms in front of him and leaned casually against the tree trunk. And chuckled.

"Even after what he did with you in the Tsukiyomi, you still believe he hated you?" He asked, with a smirk.

Sakura's face flushed a beet red and she began tapping her fingers together in a way that reminded Naruto very much of Hinata. "H-he showed you that...?"

"A thing or two." Sasuke replied. "But I'm not interested in that. What I care about... is knowing what you know."

Sakura blinked.

"_Not Interested!?" _Shannaro-chan _howled_ in despair.

"Huh?"

"You're going to train us until we _do_ fly beyond you."

Sakura blinked a few more times. Sasuke... being reasonable? It was hard sometimes not too see her own unbearably stubborn Uchiha in the younger ones eyes. So easy... _so_ easy to forget that the Uchiha had once been as human, if not _more_ than any of them.

"You haven't killed _my_ Itachi. And you won't. You'll give me your wings. And we won't let you fall behind."

'_Sasuke... is placing his faith in us! Don't let him down Older-Me!' _Shannaro-chan exclaimed in her mind, somehow recovering from her internal wails of agony as Sasuke's words pierced her.

A brand new chapter was beginning in their lives. Naruto grinned up at her, wiping at red eyes, and Sasuke's usual smirk was more of a smile than she had ever recalled. She was _doing it! _She was changing the past and working towards a future that would be her own. Bright and wonderful, without the mind numbing loneliness she'd felt before. She would rise beyond anything limit of her previous life.

The wind picked up as if in answer.

"Mmm! I will!" And for the very first time in all her living memory, Sakura voiced what her inner self had always wished she could.

"_Shannaro!" _

* * *

><p>Naruto hung back, his thoughts running wild at all of the changes their team had undergone so quickly. A day had passed now and they still hadn't run into any enemy teams. Lucky that, as he wasn't sure Sakura wouldn't simply dispatch any enemies without even giving them a chance.<p>

Their conversations over the past twenty four hours had been enlightening and somewhat painful for the blonde.

He was slated to die. And it was all due to this Orochimaru bastard lingering around in the forest waiting to attack Sasuke for his Sharingan. He didn't really understand a lot of what Sasuke and Sakura had been telling him, but he got the gist.

He died, saving Sasuke from turning into even _more_ of a bastard and defecting. Would he _ever_ do that for the Uchiha?

His mind returned to the bridge in Wave. Haku and Sasuke's near death. Yeah. Yeah he could see it.

But damn though... This Orochimaru. He'd apparently beaten them all the first time around without even trying. Knocking him out cold and putting a weird swirly tattoo on Sasuke's upper back. A tattoo that evidently had enough mind altering powers to convince Sasuke to defect from Konoha!

'_That'll never happen._' He told himself soundly. _'I'll never let that happen.' _

Which he surmised was probably exactly what his counterpart in Sakura's world had thought. And he apparently had died for it. Or so Sasuke had been shown.

Sakura had been biting her under lip while they'd talked about it. She did that occasionally under stress and Naruto found himself unconsciously trying to mimic the action due to the Sharingan's influence. It was so _easy. _So easy to see someone do something and then let the Sharingan's influence cause him to follow suit. With henge and an hour to watch, he found himself entertaining the thought that he could _be anyone._

But he'd noticed, looking back, that Sakura often bit her lip when she was lying. Or rather, wasn't telling the full truth. Perhaps they were missing something.

Abruptly, Sasuke, who had been leading the procession until now, halted, coming to a stop on the forest floor, and waiting for his two teammates to land beside him without a word.

"Sasuke?" Sakura questioned.

A moment of silence passed while Naruto dropped down beside them. "Hey! What are we stopping for!? We've only got three days left and we haven't found _anybody!"_

Sasuke sniffed. "We'll find someone. But it occurs to me..."

He trailed off as if that was supposed to be his entire point. Naruto bristled.

"What?" Naruto finally barked as Sasuke turned away and began to stride out into the small tree covered clearing they now inhabited.

"You need training with the Sharingan."

His hands began to flash in a series of very familiar seals...

* * *

><p>Neji leaped.<p>

Narrowly dodging the lighting fast sting of a snake the size of a tree, he landed upon the creature's back and slammed his fingers into chakra points that he _hoped_ were vital.

The cobra loosed an ear-shattering squeal that rocked Neji to his core, but he smiled anyway. Victory... At least a temporary one. At once, the snake itself erupted into a cloud of smoke and Neji fell, no longer supported by the weight of the summoned beast that he had destroyed.

He hadn't anticipated the second one.

Another snake, equal in size to the first if not _bigger_ reared back as he fell. Gravity abandoning him, Neji could only curl into a defensive position as the snake's tail coiled back, waiting for it to strike.

Like a bat hitting a falling ball, the snake's tail reared up and whipped him, crushing his guard along with his whole body. He flew like a bullet, dazed and wincing as he tried to lift his arms to soften the blow. He felt the bones in his forearms nearly crack under the strain. Broken or not, they were the only thing he had to break the fall and they were strong enough to protect his face from the full impact. Slumping down to the grass, he felt the rough roots of the tree scrape against his tender skin. His forearms _burned in agony_. A Hyuuga whose arms felt like butter? What good was he now?

Rolling onto his back and trying to see through the cloud of dust his landing had unsettled, he saw his teammates desperately trying to dodge the single, unbearably powerful man that had descended upon them.

'_His aura is... immense,' _Thought the downed Hyuuga as he looked on with guilt. He tried to stand but his limbs failed him. Fear gripped his heart with a fury.

"Neji!" Came a horrified shout from Lee. Neji found this odd. The boy's voice... it wasn't enshrouded in the ever-present youthfulness that sensei had endowed it with. That was strange.

Lee turned and Neji watched as a hatred that he had never known the other boy capable of, began to cross his eyes.

"Lee don't! We can't beat him! We have to get Neji and run!" Tenten screamed as she valiantly fended off her own foes. Swarm after swarm after _endless swarm_ of smaller snakes rushed her and were cut down by her vicious accuracy. Shuriken peppered the landscape around her in the thousands. Cuts had shredded her clothing to to bits and the wrapping with which she bound her breasts was exposed to the world, her shirt having been long since disposed of. Blood from snakebites she'd been unable to deflect cast her body in a sheen of red.

'_A beautiful form,' _Neji thought, slightly embarrassed that his mind was wandering so at a time like this. Suddenly however his attention was drawn sharply back to his other teammate as a massive concentration of chakra enveloped him in green flames.

"_Gate of Limits! OPEN!_" The green-clad boy bellowed into the darkness, and Neji shuddered as he watched his friend's body transform from that of a human into a swirling mass of chakra nearly obscuring all but a vague green outline from view.

'_My... god... Lee! What is this power?' _thought the downed ninja as he stared in awe.

"How dare you!?" Lee shouted, eyes filled with an internal rage. "I will not allow this to continue! No one but me is allowed to defeat Neji!"

And like that, the boy vanished. A soundwave suddenly blasted across Neji and pain buckled his weakened body. Time seemed to stop for a moment as his Byakugan enhanced eyes only barely followed the path of his enraged teammate. He was okay. He was still alive. Though he didn't know if he'd ever be the same mentally as he had been before seeing his _Dead Last_ teammate throw punches that left _earthquakes_ as side effects.

The snake on the receiving end of Lee's shockwave fist _imploded_. The ground behind the snake crunched in as if a thousand tons had suddenly crushed into itself. Trees crumbled under the awesome weight of the punch's pressure alone. The snake had only a scant second to scream in agony before it erupted into smoke like its brethren before it.

Lee spared the dead summon no mind as he flashed, already moving to rid Tenten of thousands of tiny enemies still descending upon her. Like a whirlwind the boy delved into their midst, dancing amongst a cacophony of summon smoke and flying kunai as He and Tenten systematically decimated the horde of snakes.

When they were finally finished and Tenten stood panting in exhaustion, Neji could do little more than stare at his teammate in awe.

Where was _this opponent_ when he wanted a true spar?

Neji didn't know. But he was thankful for the boy's power now.

Lee didn't even seem winded as he vanished from his place near Tenten to stand a few paces away from the older nin that had crushed them like vermin until now. He held a taijutsu stance that the Hyuuga had never seen the green clad boy use. Neji only prayed that this power his teammate held would be enough.

Lee didn't remain stationary for long though. Completely breaking his usual character, the boy spared no time for words, no second thoughts. No. Only that one calculated moment where he examined the other man's stance before he engaged.

'_No wasted time,' _Neji thought soberly. _'Lee can't keep this ability of his up for long. I _must_ recover!' _

Slowly. Painfully, the Hyuuga brought a quaking right hand towards his left forearm where it had impacted the tree. The bone had been fractured, though not broken. He could still fight. _'Oh this is going to hurt!' _He thought.

Chakra flowed. Searing his fractured forearm as it traveled down to his fingertips and laced out in a tiny lance of green. His right arm, the one channelling the chakra brought tears of pain to his eyes but he persevered. He would not allow his teammates to die. Not without him by their side... at the very least.

After an eternity, an _age_, he finally felt his left forearm was healed enough that he would be able to use it to mend his now _screaming_ right one. Fast as he was able, he brought his left hand to his right forearm and began to heal.

_Relief_ poured through him almost the very instant his chakra began its work, sealing cartilage along with mending the weakness in his bones. Fatigue from his first and only real injury came to the fore as his healing finished and he realized that he was much less combat ready than he had hoped.

'_A full Kaiten, and the snake had just...' _

When faced with the very real horror of being crushed by the body of a snake larger than a tree, Neji had begun the motions for his heavenly spin, expecting the snake to be propelled away from him just like everything else was.

The snake had not budged, and instead, coiled itself tight. Neji's spin was stopped dead, and his body was constricted within the snake's coil. If not for his teammates, Tenten in particular he would be dead already.

Angry and ready for revenge, he'd charged in ready to decimate this feeble genin who'd dared challenge Neji Hyuuga...!

...and received a near fatal lesson in humility. As Tenten and Lee _repeatedly _saved him from more and more dire situations, Neji slowly realized that he was hopelessly outmatched. Juuken didn't work. For the first time in his memory his precious family art, his only solace, the _one good thing_ about being a Hyuuga... failed him. Summoned serpents. They had Chakra-points, oh yes, but since they were constructs produced by their users own power, closing them did little more than momentarily faze them, which proved disastrous as hordes of enemies he'd thought defeated, wobbled their way back up to slither at his back.

A kunai could pierce their skin and disperse them. A punch, or kick... or hell _anything _Lee chose to attack them would would send them scattering back to their ether-realm with their tails between whatever limb Lee had chosen to skewer them on. But the Juuken... his prized Juuken... was worthless.

A painful lesson for the humbled and disillusioned Hyuuga.

But he was a god damned ninja. He would adapt... His vision was perfect. His chakra was still massive since most of his damage had been taken while he was surprised, he hadn't really expended much yet. He was ready... and the army of snakes his allies had been fighting seemed to have dwindled. He would not be the weak link in this team!

Only it appeared that he already was.

Lee was _trashing_ his opponent. The half a moment Neji took to process the battle and where it had gone since he had begun his rudimentary self healing had turned sharply in their favor.

Lee was a green whirlwind. His face glowed red, monstrous and yet awe inspiring. Veins seemed to throb on his forehead, and each kick produced sonic booms that shattered the sound barrier twice over.

When Lee finally stopped his relentless battery, Tenten took up the battle.

A _hurricane_ of sharp, pointy death rained down onto the nin's crumpled body. He dodged, but failed many times over. They sundered his legs, pierced his arms, and sunk though superior body armor. Sprays of blood painted the forest a dark hue, and Neji gaped as he saw many of the weapons narrowly miss the ninja's forehead. Tenten...? He'd never seen her so serious. He latched on with absolute clarity to the fact that every single one of Tenten's weapons had been aimed to _permanantly_ disable, maim, or kill this enemy.

This horrid enemy.

When the rain of blades finally trickled and died, Neji took the opportunity to assess the damage. The pale man who had been their opponent was torn to shreds. He looked almost forty, or perhaps even older still. Pale didn't even _begin_ to describe the body- no the corpse that them. Neji had a good memory for faces, and this man had definitely not been one of the genin.

The man twitched, and the three genin jerked, unwilling to believe that this demon of shinobi had truly died.

"Surrender or I attack once more. Force my hand and you will rot in this forest for harming my team," a voice that did _not_ belong on Lee's tongue said in a tone that demanded obedience.

The body... quivered. It kept... shaking as if he were...?

"_Ku Ku Ku..." _The laughter sent a shudder down Neji's spine.

Involuntarily, Neji stepped back as the human pincushion rose, amidst a river of his own blood. It was small comfort that Tenten also reared in shock.

Lee didn't bat an eye.

"_Well met!_" The manikin- for what else could it possibly be? -spoke. "Konoha's genin, not even their most superior genin, are a _treasure! I am _proud."

"_Stand Down!" _Lee barked, his dark eyes deadly in the fading sunlight.

The man stuck out his tongue, and Neji was unsurprised at its forked appearance.

"I don't think I will..."

Even Lee was shocked by what happened next.

Before their very eyes the man... _molted._ His skin seemed to fade to a sort of pale plastic, until it looked like some sort of sickening overcoat with the muscle and bone moving beneath it, detached from its casing.

The man's jaw widened to a ridiculous degree, far beyond what even a broken bone could account for. Something slid out of the dark crevice formed by his gaping maw. A... head?

First a head covered in similar dark black hair, followed by a neck and body, until an entire man slithered out of the skin of their dying opponent like a snake shedding its skin.

The new man was fresh. Undamaged. In the grip of terror they faced, even Lee couldn't move.

"Y-you're an abomination!" Tenten cried.

"Worse," Neji intoned gravely. He now _knew_ their enemy. The snakes should've given his identity away before but they had failed to click in Neji's mind until just now. The pale shinobi could be none other than the legendary traitor.

"We face Orochimaru."

Tenten stiffened, and her eyes turned to regard the man in question fearfully. "Wh-why would one of the Sannin attack _us?" _

"A good question," the snake sannin interjected. "But not one you will live to find the answer to."

This remark enraged Lee and Neji felt his own anger swell as well. Had Lee not just destroyed him? How many times could he molt like that? Hmph. They would not fall so easily.

"I don't care if you're a Sannin, or a god, or one of the bijuu! Any who attack my team like you have shall pay with their life!" Lee hissed a final warning. Then his form blurred.

Faster even than Neji could see Lee's crossed the air ready to once again dismantle Orochimaru.

Orochimaru smirked.

The punch collided with the Sannin's palm. A split second of visibility, and Neji watched Lee's eyes widen. Then again he vanished.

Punches rained in the thousands as Lee encircled his opponent but this time Neji would not sit on the sidelines. His Juuken was useless on the snakes but this was a man.

He blurred himself, flanking the offending Shinobi. He struck with a forward knifehand to the man's neck which was swiftly dodged. Neji twisted, barely dodging the kick the man responded with. Unperturbed, Neji's fingers struck at the tenketsu in the man's lifted leg, but he missed as the man leapt with his other foot, flipping over him. All the while Lee's constant wailing had never ceased. Each punch crashing into the Sannin's open palm sounded like hammer on cement but not a single punch broke through the man's guard.

Neji spun to meet Orochimaru's sudden focus. He ducked, narrowly dodging a vicious backhand and responded with a desperate attempt for one of his vital tenketsu on the chest. His attempt was met with a knee to the face that pushed him back and left him dazed. Luckily Lee was there to prevent further attacks, forcing the Sannin to concentrate his full effort on catching the boy's punches.

Neji slid in behind the Sanin once more and lead with a low leg sweep that the Sannin flipped over. Rising, Neji followed the sweep with an uppercut filled with chakra. Not a traditional Juuken style and it surprised the Sannin, catching him in the chin. Only half a second of daze but that was enough for Lee to follow up with a devastating two punch combo followed by a roundhouse that crushed the pale shinobi's defence. Neji spared half a second to grin at the other boy before they both cleared armageddon.

"_Twin Rising Dragons!" _Came Tenten's attack and weapons fell like rain. Held by strings and guided by low powered chakra bursts, the flurry of weapons was unlike anything Lee or Neji had ever seen from their companion but they were unsurprised.

Neji only barely caught it but just before the girl's tsunami of weapons landed... Orochimaru grinned.

Using a speed that he had not previously shown, the Sannin blurred. He caught the first Kunai and sickle and proceeded to slice at the air, batting weapons away with a practiced ease that bordered on godlike. Neji jerked to the left as the elite ninja began batting the weapons towards him and Lee. He too began to catch them and bat them out of the air while Lee avoided the situation altogether by taking to the trees above.

The man was not done. While Tenten still hovered in midair, her attack failed beyond repair, the man grabbed the chakra strings that she still held, and yanked.

Horrified, Neji leapt forward through the barrage of incoming weapons. Heedless of the multitude of cuts, he flew faster than his feet had ever taken him and leapt high over Orochimaru's head. Moments before Tenten would've slammed headfirst into a tree-trunk he caught the girl, enveloped her in his arms and skidded heavily across the rough dirt atop the girl.

He moaned, and listened to the girl do the same. He had been unable to flip her and take the damage of the skid himself but at least she was still alive.

Hesitantly, he pushed himself up, feeling the girl shuddering beneath him. "Tenten? Are you all- AHH!"

Neji was unprepared for the pain that tore through him. Unsure of what was even upon him his byakugan focused and found the Sannin's foot had crushed him atop Tenten into the ground, pinning them there like a stake. His eyes bulged as he tried to move and found himself completely unable. His ribs creaked as they were crushed against Tenten, but the Sannin was not done. His foot lifted a moment before he slammed it back downonto Neji's back.

Blood sprayed from the Hyuuga's mouth. Tenten's screams below went unheeded as Neji's spine shuddered and groaned under the Sannin's foot.

"_Let them go..." _The green-clad boy uttered lowly, standing several feet from the S-ranked ninja.

""Hmmph. You're in no position for demands. But I find I like you, boy. I'll use _you_ I think... A boy capable of using five gates at the age of thirteen? I've never seen the like," Orochimaru said with a slight hint of boredom.

To Neji and Tenten's relief the foot lifted from them, and the Hyuuga gasped for air. It wasn't much but it was enough for Neji to regain the slightest bit of focus...

Death was to be theirs. Fate had declared it. Well... if that was the way of it then...

"_Lee," _He gasped out barely. "_R-run..._"

Lee's eyes faced the downed Hyuuga, and he cocked an eye. "Would _you_ run Neji? And leave your friends behind?"

'_Gai-Sensei told me to never open this gate. Even in the most dire of situations... He told me I wasn't ready... Sorry sensei. For my team, I will do whatever it takes.' _Though the crippled boy.

"_Gate of Veiw! Open!" _he screamed. Digging deep the boy felt that shimmering spot inside him. The point deep within his stomach where the Gate of View was located shimmered. Chakra oozed from it and he grasped...

A cold fist buried itself in his belly, and all thought left Lee's mind. His air stolen, he quivered as he slumped forward onto the older man's arm. Gasps left him as air failed to fill his lungs. His breath was stunted and harsh. The green chakra aura that had hovered around him since he'd opened the fifth gate fluttered and died then, and the fist that felt like it had truly run him through trailed up to grasp his collar. Unable to even struggle, Lee felt the Sannin lift him bodily up until they were eye to eye. Through the pain, he managed a hateful glare, but the enemy held no malice. Just a sort of detached calculation. He looked as if he were studying a particularly difficult math problem.

"...Hmm. All that chakra and not one ninjutsu...? It doesn't make any... Ahh. I see. Crippled," the Sannin spoke more to himself than to Lee but the boy caught the gist, and it pissed him off.

"I am a prodigy made from hard work! Not a _cripple_!" he screamed ineffectually. He kicked but found that without the power of the gates, kicking the older man was like kicking a stone wall. The Sannin hardly seemed to notice.

"Hmm... yes. Even Tsunade wouldn't be able to heal this. She's never run across such a problem like this... I can though. Yes, you'll still do. You deserve that much, for entertaining me so. Not like those two weaklings." He still seemed to be talking to himself rather than actually to Lee.

"I will not lose to you here! I can't! I must prove my dream! Acckk!" The boy screamed at the top of his formidable lungs as a... _yellow_ chakra began to seep into him from Orochimaru's arm.

"Lee! Stop it... please stop hurting him!" Tenten cried from the ground.

"Hurting him?" the man seemed surprised. "Little girl, I am _healing_ him! A cripple will not be a suitable mask for me."

Neji had finally managed to roll off her but he _ached. _He wasn't certain but he thought his back might be broken. His... his Byakugan wasn't working right. He was seeing but it was as if his eyes couldn't focus, and so his three hundred and sixty degrees were still visible, yet he couldn't discern which was _front._

"_Spinal injury..." _He thought. _"I am... useless." _

Now here he lay. Broken. Unable to even move let alone stop an S-Ranked missing ninja from killing his... his best friend. Lee... how had he been so strong without ever showing him? If only he'd been able to keep up, maybe he could've done... something.

But no. Fate had spoken. Death was theirs today.

"And what is your dream, hmm? If it's good enough, I might use the little Hyuuga over there instead, and let you live to see it," asked Orochimaru as the yellow chakra ceased its flow from his hand into Lee.

"I... I must prove that with enough passion, enough _effort_, I can be stronger than any prodigy or bloodline. That a genius of hard work can defeat any naturally born genius." He hissed. "I _must..." _

Orochimaru sniffed. "Not good enough. You see. There is one problem with that. What happens when you meet a prodigy, who is also a genius of... _'hard work'?" _He mocked casually.

"_Then you meet someone like me!" _cried high pitched female voice.

Orochimaru slid back, dropping the genin in favor of keeping his arm as a shuriken cut the air his limb had just occupied. Flying at speeds Tenten hadn't even come near, the projectile was followed by a series of kunai and shuriken that Orochimaru found himself straining to dodge as he backed further and further from the bowl-cut genin.

'_Jounin?' _He thought with anger. He fixed his eyes on the direction the projectiles had come from and they widened comically as he found... a _genin? _A pink haired little...

"_S-Sakura-san!?" _Lee's strained voice echoed as his skin sizzled from the strange yellow chakra that had just coursed through his entire body.

The girl leaped, arcing through the air to fall down in a cascade of pink hair and wind, landing softly between Team Gai and Orochimaru.

'_Sasuke's teammate. Well, there goes my need for a disguise,' _he thought irritably. The girl had talent for her age to throw like that. Her strength was belied by her petite form, he could already tell. And was that... yes. His sensory skills showed him jounin level chakra at least.

'_No matter,' _he thought. _'I've killed hundreds of Jounin.' _

The girl's hands were held casually behind her head and she grinned as if her fellow genin weren't dying in front of her. A wide, happy grin that spoke of a confidence that Orochimaru didn't think he'd seen on an opponent since the last time he faced Jiraiya. He'd long since taken for granted that any enemy, even that Pein fellow, would fear him and rightfully so. This girl's easy smile in the face of certain doom annoyed him.

"Hey, Lee. I'll protect you till I die, kay?" She said with a wink.

Lee, for all the pain he was in, blushed a solid pink. Then the seriousness of the situation caught up with him. "Sakura-chan this is no normal enemy! This isn't a Genin, this is-!"

"Orochimaru of the Sannin," the girl interjected her smirk widening if possible. She turned back to face the snake sannin and regarded him much like Orochimaru might regard bad milk. "Good. I'd like to see how close I've come to my old skill. Let's see if you're strong enough to push me."

The Sannin wasted no time with words. Instead he blasted out an aura of killing intent so powerful that it would make even the strongest jounin freeze in terror. His plans were being ruined. Sasuke was not supposed to know who it was that he was fighting. That would skew the test. He could hardly believe that the girl had managed to sneak up on him in the first place but that was no matter now. If she knew he was here then it was safe to assume that Sasuke knew as well. A botched experiment but not completely failed. He would just have to test the Uchiha honestly.

The man's hands flashed in a series of complicated seals that Sakura had never seen save in her other battles with him. She had no idea what they did but she was best when thinking on her feet. She leapt, running up the side of one of the many trees in the vicinity began a series of her own seals.

As Orochimaru's hands seemed to develop their own gravitational pull, sucking her in off the tree and making it more and more difficult to cling to its side, her own seals completed.

Battle in its purest form.

Sakura was happy.

Her whiskers shimmered and her eyes took on a decidedly fox-like quality. This... was going to be fun.

* * *

><p>Naruto watched the pink-haired daemon as she danced around the Sannin with awe. This? This girl was Sakura? The girl danced like a feather around lightning quick blows delivered by the pale man without even a care. Strikes that shattered trees seemed to be deflected without thought. Lighting danced on her fingers occasionally and steam of burning air seemed to slide off her pink jacket during the few moments when she stopped long enough for the blonde to notice.<p>

This was their teammate?

"You gonna listen to her, Naruto?" Sasuke murmured. "Sit back and let her hog all the fun? She's so fast... But we can keep up."

Naruto was still a bit flummoxed every time the Uchiha called him by his actual name instead of dobe or idiot but he had taken to doing so ever since Naruto had acquired the Sharingan. Only two days ago... but it felt like a lifetime.

"_Hell no! _But we gotta get fuzzy brows and his team out first. I've got this new jutsu I can't wait to try..._" _the blonde said with a mischievous smirk, then let his hands flow into their favorite seal. The ram. But unlike before, where clones would appear in a horde around him, they slid into existence with an almost ghost-like quality.

Sasuke gave his usual half cocked smirk. "Good. You really are starting to learn."

Naruto threw his hands behind his head and failed to suppress the beam of pride that threatened to destroy any and all trace of his 'Uchiha Cool.' Somehow though, he managed the silence with an easy grace that until a few days ago would have been completely beyond him. His thoughts wandered for a moment to the first day of this exam. One of many different times they had stopped and Sasuke had decided to randomly educate Naruto on the ways of his Sharingan.

"_Naruto. Watch," the words themselves were not all that impressive but the fact that Sasuke had used them were. Sasuke had openly and blatantly called Naruto by his first name. Not even an ounce of mockery in his voice. _

_Of course that sailed right past Naruto's head and he glared at the Uchiha angrily, barely noticing the complex kata the boy was running through. _

"_What the hell are you showing me? I don't want to watch you fight ghosts!" _

_Sasuke stopped mid-kata and gave Naruto a half lidded stare emphasizing that he was highly unamused. "Turn on your damn Sharingan," the black-haired boy deadpanned._

_Naruto scowled but did as asked. Before words could reach his mouth, Sasuke's hands were moving. A familiar pattern, even without the Sharingan, but Naruto had never been able to make it work. The Grand Fireball. It lay before him now, dissected, its secrets bare to his perusal. _

_He watched as the fireball scorched a patch of ground, turning green blades of grass to black char. He _knew. _The technique was his. He didn't even have to try... that was the magic of Sharingan. You just knew._

"_So thats what I was doing wrong..." He murmured, mildly depressed. He'd been doing _everything_ wrong. Chakra pooled in the lungs. Meld it with expended carbon dioxide waste. A single spark of catalyst fire element chakra at the edge of the lips to light charged gas aflame as it touched the open air. It all seemed so simple now. _

_He felt... cheated. _

"_Its so easy," He murmured. "But I could've tried for years before I figured it out." _

"_I know," Sasuke replied. "But not anymore. Come on. Learn. Your fighting style is more like brawling than any actual form. I'm going to change that."_

Coming back to himself, Naruto reflected distantly on the Sasuke's words. Simple. Short. But they expressed volumes. He could no longer hold back.

"Why?" the blonde asked, turning to stare into the avenger's eyes. "Why did you stop calling me dobe, Sasuke?"

Sasuke frowned, eyes trailing between his blonde haired companion and the fight raging ahead. "Is this _really_ the time?"

"This might be the only time! That guy's a Sanin right? We're good Sasuke. Not that good. So if we're going to go jumping into our own death trap, I need to know _why!? Why now, _after all we've been through?"

Sasuke's eyes widened. Naruto was very rarely serious, but the way his eyes blazed made him deadly so. Flumoxed, the raven-haired genin stumbled over what to say. "You... are Uchiha."

Naruto's eyes narrowed further. "Thats it then. Risking my life for you in Wave didn't mean shit... no. No the only way to be acknowledged by you is the eyes. I was worth something before the Sharingan dammit!"

Sasuke glared. "Yeah. About as much as the dirt you're standing on. But with the Sharingan you can actually _be a ninja! _Maybe even Hokage! You being Uchiha changes _everything._ Don't you see!? Since you are one too, now I..."

'_I'm not alone.' _

Naruto didn't see the pleading _need_ in Sasuke's eyes. He didn't see the fervent wish for family that had permeated his entire being since that day six years before. No. Naruto only saw red, but somehow he didn't rage. Instead the anger boiled down to a cold loathing.

He surveyed the battlefield and found that his clones had already moved fuzzy-brows and his team out of the area. Good. Now he could unleash hell.

"People are worth more than their goddamn bloodline. Hasn't Sakura kicked your ass enough to prove it?" He barked towards the taller boy irritably.

"She's a Jounin who traveled back in time! Of course she would beat us!" Sasuke retorted.

Naruto hissed. Couldn't he see? Sasuke. Born with a gifted bloodline that nearly guaranteed him top tier. From birth he knew he was special. From birth, his ability was unquestioned. Naruto's birth was a different story. While Sasuke would grow strong _because _of what he was born with, Naruto had to find a way to do so _in spite_ of his own... _'bloodline.'_ Kyuubi. God damned fox, perverted everything it touched. He'd been so pissed he hadn't even been able to tell that he was going to hurt Sakura in the wave. That was _his bloodline. His legacy._

Sasuke had to see. He had to see that there was more value in a person then how they were born...

But...

"I don't know how I can do it. Now that I have the Sharingan its impossible. But I'm going to prove to you that people are worth more than their family name. Uchiha means _nothing. _You are strong because you've worked for it. I'm _not Uchiha. _I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I caught an unlucky break when an old bastard decided to trade me eyes!"

Sasuke twitched.

"Fine," He replied. "We'll talk about this later. Sakura needs–!"

Naruto was a step ahead of him. His clones leapt onto the battlefield, flooding it. They came like a tsunami of orange. The green of the trees was blotted out by the sheer overwhelming number of clones that suddenly faded into existence. Sasuke _gaped_ and even the heated battle between the pale ninja and their pink-haired teammate guttered for a moment.

"Sakura! Clear out!" One of the clones bellowed, and Sakura grinned leaping high.

In syncronization, three tomoe spinning wildly, Orochimaru's eyes widened at the trap he had found himself maneuvered into. He recognized the jutsu. Anyone who'd fought a Konoha Nin in the past fourty years could easily recognize the combination of seals.

At the last moment, he frowned, eyes connecting with one of the smirking genin clones.

Almost quietly, one clone's words echoed over all the sounds of the forest.

"_Firestorm no Jutsu."_

_And all was cast into the lake of fire._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

Would you believe this chapter has been nearly complete for almost a month and a half, just sitting on my hard-drive, getting moldy? Sorry for the long update. I had little motivation for it and 90% of my energy has been concentrated on either Error of Soul (Next chapter 60% complete), my own book, or work.

So again, sorry for the length of time between updates. I know its been a while but

Had my wisdom teeth removed. That was a bitch.

Well. Not much else to talk about. Hope you like the chapter! Character development out the ass and a bit of humor spliced in with a shitload of fighting.

Leave a review if ya feel like it!

**Till Next!**

**MB**


	11. Chapter Ten

**Disclaimer:** Shit not mine.

**Author's Aside: **I apologize profusely for the length of time it took me to finally write this chapter. Had some trouble deciding the direction I wanted to go in and a few other problems that kept distracting me (Cough error of soul cough). Hope you enjoy, and sorry for making you all reread the whole thing.

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

><p>Kakashi Hatake stared through a telescope at the ball of chakra that had hovered in the sky for the better part of two days now. He, along with much of Konoha, had been silently fearful of what it was and what it meant for the future of the exams.<p>

The chakra was malevolent, though it seemed content to remain perched in the sky. Whoever controlled it, ridiculously powerful though they might be was a master at chakra manipulation and control. Scouts had been sent in a ten mile radius scan of the entire city and found nothing. No hint of the master capable of turning such demonic chakra into a weapon and keeping it like a hearth kept a fire alight.

In truth, he'd been distracted by it. The moment it appeared he, along with many other Jounin and Chunin had been summoned and sent out to find the source.

They'd found nothing of course. Whoever would dare to raise such an obvious weapon in the middle of a village like Konoha had to be a madman or a genius at stealth. Nothing else could account for the sheer audacity it would take to do something to one of, if not _the_ most powerful of the hidden villages.

"Any ideas?" asked the horse faced man in a red coat and faded grey pants. He was a little rotund but Kakashi had gone on many missions with him in the past. He was not in the bingo book but he'd killed more men than Kakashi could count, and saved his life several times when he'd been younger.

"Not a clue," Kakashi confirmed regretfully. "We've searched the whole damn village. No chakra cords, no puppet strings. Not even any chains feeding it. Its just... one massive ball of chakra. Its growing, but for the life of me I can't figure out how."

"Same thought," said the man. Kakashi, oddly, didn't know his name. He was one of the few ANBU around that he had never been highly ranked enough to know, so Kakashi, rather rudely, had always thought of him as the 'horse faced man.'

"The Hokage's not going to like it," said Kakashi. He grimaced, knowing somehow he'd be the one suckered into telling the old man. No one liked to give the Sandaime bad news. While the old man would take it in stride –there was nothing Sarutobi _didn't _take in stride– no one liked to see that worn, weary look in his eyes. Another impossible problem. Another mission, likely to end in failure and the deaths of some of his precious leaves. The Third would handle it as he always did. But it was a slow and steadily crushing weight that rarely grew lighter.

Kakashi, nonchalant as they came, would be nominated in a heartbeat to give such news. Nevermind the fact that he wasn't actually ANBU anymore; never mind the fact that his genin were due to participate in the exam that this chakra bomb would likely destroy.

Konoha couldn't appear weak. The other teams weren't packing up and leaving, regardless of the chakra construct. The exams would go on as planned, and Konoha would cross its proverbial fingers and hope.

Idly, somewhere in the back of his mind, Kakashi dreaded that his students might somehow be the cause of this mess.

Weirdly, Kakashi had found himself... afraid.

Not for them but actually _afraid_ of what his students were and were becoming. The Kyuubi had seeped into Sakura's soul, yet she seemed more carefree by the day. Indoctrinated, perhaps brainwashed? Sasuke, cold as they came, seemed ever so slowly to become more warm, as if maybe Naruto's curse were spreading to him as well...

Naruto himself. Levity given life, Kakashi had seen what lurked beneath. The cold rage of a demon that had been perfectly willing to saturate his teammate's soul.

Kakashi... was afraid.

He didn't want to be a slave to the Kyuubi's manipulations any more than a cat wanted to seek out a dog.

The chakra mass above swirled with red and blue. Sakura Haruno had a bloodline that let her repurpose active chakra. The puzzle pieces weren't hard to fit together but Kakashi didn't _want_ them to fit.

Fear. That was one thing. He was very familiar with fear. Obito's death, and Rin later, had left him paralyzed by it, once upon a time. He'd found himself hardened to it. If he was called, he would still teach the demon children that were growing in his Team 7, even if he was afraid of becoming another thrall to the Kyuubi.

Affection was a whole different story. He hadn't felt _affection_ since... well since Obito really.

Knowing the corruption that was seeping through at least two of his cute genin, and being powerless to stop it, rendered him terrified. If his suspicions proved true, Kakashi Hatake knew that for the first time in his life, he would be utterly incapable of fulfilling his duty to Konoha.

If his suspicions proved true, he would let the trio of children he had grown to care for strike him down, rather than raise a hand against them.

"I... can't think of anything that might cause this," he lied once again, more for his own reassurance than any need to let his companion know.

The horse faced man nodded, completely ignorant of the guilty lump forming in the silver haired ninja's throat. Nor did he notice the solemn, worried hope that lit his eyes. Hope that some evil figure in the shadows had leveled challenge at Konoha.

Hope that his genin team was still... well...

His.

* * *

><p>Hinata stood staring high at the moon above. It glowed full lighting the darkness of the forest. Sounds echoed from all around in the forest far below her. Fireflies danced, glowing yellow, blue, red, and orange in the evening. Wind swept the grass and her eyes glowed their unearthly white, as she looked out across the forest of death.<p>

She felt warm. Confident in a way she had never felt before. Honestly this was the first time Hinata had ever felt she could really amount to something great. She'd floated on air ever since that day. That day when he had said "_yes."_

Of course that was before they discovered that the exam would be a five day trek through the woods and would skip Saturday entirely but somehow she didn't think that mattered. She had meant next Saturday of course. Because he had said yes, she was certain that things would go well. Everything would go well.

From now on.

Forever.

Oh, this confidence thing kicked _ass. _

"Kiba-kun. Up for a spar?"

"Hell no!" he hissed clutching Akamaru to his chest. The puppy whimpered in a rather adorable imitation of his master. "Those pokes of yours are getting way too painful!"

She grinned. "But Kiba-kuun! I'm bored!"

"Its the middle of the night!" he retorted hotly. "Honestly! I liked you more when you stuttered."

She pouted, a small smile on her face. She poked her fingers together expectantly. So similar and yet so different from the nervous twitching of her hands it had once been. It could be said that she employed puppy dog eyes on the puppy dog owner, but that could be said of almost any look Hinata gave to anyone. No. This smile was the grin of a girl who knew that her teammate would cave, and was patiently waiting him out.

"D-did you K-K-Kiba-kun?" She bated.

He flinched. No. No he didn't.

"Fine!" He barked after a while of awkward silence, setting Akamaru on the ground. "But Akamaru's not fighting. He needs to keep up his strength!"

Hinata beamed at the boy's yelling. Kiba was always yelling. She thought she was really coming to understand him though. Shino too. Honestly, Shino yelled just as much as Kiba in his own way. He was just a thousand times quieter about it.

Sliding into a ready position, offensive rather than defensive, Hinata really felt that things were looking up.

Her team had finished _first. FIRST. _That meant that of all the other genin her team was among the very best. And she had helped with that. Naruto wanted to date her. Her skills as a kunoichi were improving by the hour rather than the day. Even Neji had noticed her change in attitude.

For the first time in her life, Hinata had confidence that she could impress even her father.

Now she stood atop the tower at the center of the forest, sparring her teammate for practice. Two days left. Naruto's team still hadn't arrived but that didn't worry her. Naruto was awesome. He would make it.

"Alright Hinata. No important ones. If you're going to block tenketsu then leave my chest alone, okay?" Kiba's voice was actually a bit of a whine but Hinata found it funny, and her laughter made him sputter.

"Just dodge me, Kiba-kun, and you won't have anything to worry about!"

"Easier to dodge the wind..." he muttered under his breath, and Hinata preened.

Kiba took his stance.

And suddenly, far in the west, a segment of the forest exploded.

Startled, both she and her teammate jumped, turning to face the threat in ready stances before realizing how distant it was. Miles away, yet the heat from the geyser of flames erupting from the forest lit the night itself. They felt its warmth on their skin.

Silently they stood watching as fire consumed the portion of forest in a maelstrom, swirling to create a column of smoke and ash that volcanoes might envy.

'_Oh Naruto,' _thought Hinata worriedly. _'Please be safe. I hope you don't have to face whoever made that..."_

* * *

><p>"<em>WHOOO HOOO!" <em>hundreds of Naruto cried as they sailed around the firestorm laughing madly as everything in the area burned. _"Did you see that, Sasuke!? Huh?! Did you see that?!" _

An Uchiha's eyebrow twitched as he rushed the three genin of Team Gai away from his insane teammate and the equally insane Orochimaru.

* * *

><p>Ino faced off against her opponent. Chouji and Shikamaru backed her up, and she took point against this trio of enemy ninja. Or... that's how the blond wished it was happening at any rate.<p>

"Look. Just leave, and we won't hurt you," said the one Ino had dubbed the leader. His face was covered entirely in bandages and she assumed he might be bald beneath them.

"I don't think so," Ino said. "Ya see, we've been having trouble finding any opponents. "You guys seem to be in good health as well. I'm sure you're in need of a scroll. Why so eager to get away?"

The deep of the night would've drowned everything in darkness if not for the light of a great moon above and a thousand stars that made the world seem alight. Ino felt no fear of the night. Having a shadow user on your side meant that you quickly lost your fear of darkness. She almost felt more at home in the moonlight than in the day.

The bandaged man sighed. "Fine little girl. If you need to get yourself killed that badly then I suppose we could spend a little time."

"Caution," said the calm faced girl behind him. "Our mission does not involve passing this test. We have thus far been unable to find our target. Time is running out."

"Shut up, Haku. You've only been a Sound nin for a few weeks. Barely even worth the headband, so keep quiet. It would be... advantageous to pass this test," said Bandages, practically ignoring Ino and her team.

"As you wish, Dozu-san. But we must not fail. If this side objective pressures us, I will not hesitate to withdraw."

"I'm with the cross-dresser," Shikamaru droned from the side. "C'mon Ino. Can't we just fail? I'm sick of this forest."

"Shut up Shikamaru! You're not going to ruin this fight for me! … Wait cross-dresser?"

A munching sound came from the left and all five members of the clearing noted Chouji's new bag of chips. Dozu barked a laugh and the other girl who had remained silent until now grinned as well. Ino failed to suppress the tick that formed on her brow.

"Chouji! Could you at least _try_ to act less lame than you are?"

"Sounds like your teammates are a bunch of losers. You've got a bit of spunk though. Ever think of switching villages? You'd do well with us in Sound."

Ino's glared. "Fat chance. Nowhere is stronger than Konoha!"

Under her breath though, Ino couldn't help but mumble about how the choice of teammates couldn't possibly be worse in Sound than it was here. Idly, she threw a curse Shikamaru's way for good measure.

Dozu's face wasn't visible but the smirk in his tone was clearly evident. "Tell you what blondie, since both our teammates seem to be complete blowhards, how about just you and me fight? Winner takes the scroll."

Confidence brimming in the sound nin's voice, he procured an earth scroll and balanced it on one finger.

Ino hesitated, looking back to Shikamaru. Sudden nervousness snatched her. She was confident with them at her back, but all on her own?

Eh... she would probably be alright. He wasn't a goddamn skyscraper sized raccoon. After that, it was becoming hard to take any human opponent seriously.

"Hey, fuck that. I want a piece of this little bitch," said the brown haired girl, the third member of the sound team. Ino instantly felt a sharp burst of loathing for the other girl.

"Shut up Kin. You're worse than little Haku back there," said Dozu thumbing the blue-haired quiet spoken nin behind them. "Save your strength for the pinky on Sasuke's team."

If Haku was annoyed by Bandages's comment, the girl –crossdresser?– didn't show it. Still it was clear these three cared about each other less than the dirt on their shoes. Ino idly took note of this and began to formulate a small plan. Their opponents had obviously been thrown together at the last minute. They weren't a team. They didn't even have a semblance of teamwork. She could use that to her advantage.

Her fingers lay down at her side and twitched in a way that looked spontaneous. Shikamaru noted the signal for plan delta and sighed. "Ugh. I probably don't even have to say it but this is so..."

"Troublesome, we know. Well, lets get this started then, eh?"

Before another word could be said, an explosion sounded in the distance. Fire erupted in the sky and night turned to day.

* * *

><p>Orochimaru was annoyed.<p>

These genin were far more troublesome than he had expected. Worst of all he hadn't even managed to witness Sasuke fighting yet. Instead he had to weather the effects of an inferno created by a nincompoop.

The blonde's easy smile as his hundreds of clones sailed around the firestorm set Orochimaru on edge. The boy was weak, he knew. Kyuubi gave him the power for this ridiculous attack. However, the similarity between this boy and another boy he'd once known, now deceased, was unnerving.

His clones showed competence in that some of them could see him coming, and dodge. Few, but few was still more than he found acceptable. As he decimated their ranks, he seethed at the multitude of fake Sharingan shining in the boy's eyes. A minor genjutsu, probably concocted by the pink-haired twit no doubt, but a clever one.

The battle with the Hyuuga and his team hadn't really pushed the Sanin much but he'd wasted one of his snake-form copies.

Now, having shed a second skin, he was actually fighting with his true body, and that worried him. Added to that, this firestorm would likely cause the proctors of the exam to investigate. For any genin, such a power was impressive. It was likely they would want to know who had caused such rampant destruction, not to mention what sort of opponent had been powerful enough to require such an act.

The whole point of this excursion had been to test Sasuke but so far he'd found the three most powerful specimens for their age that he'd ever run across in his life, and had only managed to glimpse Sasuke Uchiha fleeing the scene with one of those three.

Not a fully wasted time. He was interested now to see what would become of the crippled boy now that he'd been healed. Oh, what a carrier he would make. He'd easily replace any of the sound four with a cursed seal of his own.

The Kyuubi brat was a powerhouse. That was unsurprising really. Of _course_ Orochimaru was interested in the Jinchuuriki. Everyone with half a brain should be, but it seemed Konoha had neglected the boy, if his clone's wild strides and pathetic taijutsu were anything to go by.

Cute burn trick though. Clones with fire. He'd even synced them all to fire in the same direction to create a wind funnel, effectively trapping Orochimaru with the pinkette for the duration of the jutsu. Smart mid-battle tactics on that one.

Now the flower. The pink-haired doll. _SHE was a prize._ How was she not burning inside all these flames? He of course, had shed his second skin once the fire had died down to manageable levels, but she had weathered it without even seeming to notice. She stood unhindered and unburdened by the touch of the flames. A useful trick that one. He would have to dissect her slowly.

"I come for one prize and find three entirely different ones. Sakura Haruno was it...? I'll be watching you."

"Will you now?" She replied without the slightest hint of fear at being surrounded in a flaming cyclone, or that she was trapped alone with one of the greatest ninja to have ever walked the land.

The girl flung a slender arm into the air and her eyes shimmered with the glare of the burning wind. To his utter consternation the girl turned her eyes _away _from him. What kind of elite ninja turns their eyes away from one of _the greatest–!?_

"_SPIRIT BOMB." _

As if pulling down the moon itself, the girl tugged. The ground split around her in a ring and she sunk a foot into it, earth cracking as if under an enormous weight. Orochimaru's eyes widened as he felt an enormous surge of chakra. What in...?

His eyes widened in sudden horror as he realized _exactly _what the girl was doing. The giant ball of chakra that had been hanging in the air for the past several days... it was _hers!_

He chanced a look skyward, towards where the small opening could be seen at the top of the swirling vortex, and found what he'd expected. The red and blue glowing ball hurtled towards them like a missile. Orochimaru, for just a moment, felt fear.

The ball of chakra impacted and the forest exploded.

* * *

><p>"Genin… you're no g-genin."<p>

Sakura stood firmly in the middle of a crater that had once been a large portion of the forest of death. Around her stood walls of flame towering a mile into the sky and roaring like a twister. Rubble, rock, dirt, and tree branches, all hung suspended in midair, made lighter by the dense remains of the Spirit Bomb. They all glowed an unholy red, stones boiling like a blacksmith's anvil and hovering over the heavy chakra that saturated the storm. In this imitation of hell, Sakura stood unburned, the harsh flames unable to touch her.

Orochimaru did not fare so well.

He stood with difficulty on wobbly legs. His eyes flared with a hatred so profound that it struck Sakura, who had stared into the eyes of the Kyuubi himself. Blood trailed down pale lips...

Orochimaru of the Sanin was enraged. Even as his face melted off and was replaced by new flesh that only melted away once more in a sickening display of seemingly limitless burning, that rage held as strong as Sakura's stance.

"A trap laid." the Sanin snarled before his mouth melted, jaw detaching and dropping to the scorched earth, only to light with powerful flames and bubble and rot like plastic before melting into the charred dirt below them.

Pressure stung Sakura and it felt heavy. Her bloodline stretched to the limit to divert the heavy chakra away from her body and into that of the melting Sanin. Keeping him in a perpetual state of death and rebirth with his grotesque snakeskin technique.

"...a w-well planned trap. Konoha knew. Cle–" here his newly formed face melted off once again, finally showing the disgusting bones beneath. His words quaked and quivered in pain.

"You are a blight on this world," Sakura said firmly, her eyes laced with passion. "I've seen the children you've tortured. I've seen your disgusting labs and your cursed _stables_, where boys and girls are treated as cattle and guinea pigs. You're an abomination,"

A dry laugh escaped his lips the next time they formed. "No one... ever reached immortality without a few broken bones..." hissed the melting man. "I won't d-die... not here. Not to a little girl like you."

Sakura glared harder and diverted more and more of the firestorm and ambient chakra in the air to become a heat on par with hell itself, melting away at the Sanin's exposed flesh. Hexagonal barriers appeared everywhere, absorbing chakra and granting it unto her. She purposed it well. She made him _burn. Raw chakra _burning so hot that it could make steel melt, grafted to his skin and bones.

He screamed then, throwing his head back in pain, pale new skin cracking and bubbling before falling off of another miraculously smooth face that once again began to burn.

Sweat trailed down Sakura's brow. Her limits were huge now but this was straining even for her. All her vast chakra pools were still not enough to end his vileness. Last time she'd used poison which bled him of his ability to regrow. The poison had limited his ability to use chakra to a trickle. Much like closing a tenketsu, the poison she'd used had been famous for suppressing the natural flows of chakra, but unlike the Hyuuga technique, the poison stopped it at the source.

At the time, her bloodline had been fresh and new. Experimental, but her fist had been trustworthy. Her team, a full seven in total, had been beaten to rags before the Sanin had gone down by sheer luck, even with his chakra suppressed. Five of them died.

She and Neji Hyuuga alone had survived.

Now she was wiser in the ways of her hidden talent. A talent so powerful that even the Sharingan had bowed to it, robbing eyes of the ability to activate. Robbing chakra from the very body itself, her barriers could be so tiny that they could be forced into anything.

She narrowed her eyes.

"This is where you die."

And suddenly, Orochimaru let out a howl that defied reason or logic. His chakra dampened as she exercised her power over him. Chakra that was desperately working within the confines of his foul and demented body was stolen and repurposed.

Inside him, one of her Hexagons had appeared. Sapping all of the ambient Chakra and stealing Orochimaru's lifeline, then redistributing it as heat into his body, melting him from the inside out while Naruto's firestorm burned him. Regrowth and regeneration stemmed to a sudden, horrible halt as Orochimaru's anger turned to terror.

Burns scalded a face that no longer reacted like melting plastic. Instead, flesh, real flesh was burning and melting. Sakura glared, her eyes more intense than the fire that whipped her hair. That stare had a... _sound_ to it. Like a crumbling mountain, or perhaps a volcano.

"I... will not... _DIE!" _

A sudden _burst_ of power flared from the Sannin, and wind buffeted Sakura off her feet like a physical blow. She sailed, losing her grip on her bloodline as she did so and sliding roughly along the molten earth. She screamed too, but the heat was not nearly as intense for her as it had been for the Sanin. She didn't have fiery chakra being sown, laced into her very skin. Still the heat ravaged her and the pain of raking her back along the ground scalded her furiously. It was a full moment before she could gather the sense to ward the fire off of her body with her armor of hexagons, but that was all Orochimaru needed.

With a yell like a banshee, Orochimaru leapt, feet carrying him through the slowly dying tornado of flames and out like a fish might leap from the water, madly running, running, running from the burning of the girl, and her fearsome teal eyes.

Orochimaru had never been terrified. He was now.

"No!" Sakura exclaimed, lashing out and throwing a burst of raw chakra at him, stolen from Naruto's firestorm.

It hit nothing but scorched air as the Sanin dodged, far too nimble for his nearly emaciated form. Sakura fumed in rage at herself and at the slippery Sanin. He would be almost impossible for her to face in the future. He would know of her ability and would account for it somehow. The man was a genius. She had to best him here, now.

But he was already gone.

She rushed to where she'd last seen him. Fire parted around her, impacting on her armor if transluscient hexagons as she leapt through.

She reached out her chakra senses, but of course, found nothing. She'd robbed the Sanin of a huge portion of his chakra, almost enough to kill him. A rabbit would leave a stronger trail than he did right now.

So the mundane methods. Footprints. No, the ground itself was molten charred dirt. Plus he was a Sanin, even if he was weakened. They'd caught him unawares, completely flat footed after fighting Konoha's best genin team. They'd never find him. The snake had gone to ground and the only option was to wait for him to surface again.

"Damn!" Sakura screamed. "You snake faced coward! Come fight me!"

_Shannaro! _

Turning away with a huff she strode through the dying embers of the firestorm, flame sliding away from her as if walking through a screen of falling water.

Naruto leaned casually against a tree a few feet away waiting with a smirk on his face and his eyes tilted in an unnaturally Sasuke-esque look. His Sharingan spun three tomoe easily sliding across her flame-licked form.

"Ya get him?" He asked.

She hissed. "Bastard got away. He's probably not even in the forest anymore."

Naruto, still using his Sharingan to mime Sasuke's manner leaned his head to the side. Idly he cocked his thumb towards himself and said. "Good. Next time we fight him, I want to be the one in the storm."

_The hell!? He... Naruto looks kinda cool._

It came all at once. In all of the space of a moment her rage at her own incompetence, her failure, evaporated into helpless unbridled laughter.

"Hey! C'mon its _exactly_ what the bastard would say...! S-Stop laughing! Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined.

As tears streamed down her eyes she wrapped a slightly injured arm around her teammate, a hand clutching her heart because she just couldn't stop laughing. Whether at Shannaro-chan or Naruto's Sharingan enhanced acting, she couldn't tell.

She'd survived a battle with one of the strongest ninja in the world without hardly taking a scratch. Not only that, she'd beaten the pedophile to a pulp. And she was thirteen. Honestly, it almost felt like cheating. Even so, it was a damn good day.

When she finally gained some semblance of control she turned to her partner and wrapped the other arm around him, lovingly piggybacking onto his neck and letting her feet drag on the forest floor. "C'mon you idiot. Lets go see where Sasuke got off to and finish this exam."

"Sure Sakura-chan!"

* * *

><p>Ino stared wide eyed at the tornado –an honest to god tornado!– made out of fire. It stretched far beyond the trees blotting out the moon with red fire. Her jaw almost dropped and would've if not for the years spent conditioning herself to never look stupid.<p>

She wasn't alone.

The Sound team before her stared openly in shock, or at least what passed for shock to ninjas. Only the blue haired girl in the back seemed unafraid. The bandaged boy and the brown haired girl both backed away in fear of what... of _who_ could create such an attack.

"Naruto. That fearsome genin..." said the blue haired girl, paradoxically calm in light of the situation. Shikamaru had called her a crossdresser right? What had the bandaged boy called her earlier? Haku?

"Dosu," the possible-boy barked, her eyes no longer passive. "We have no time for this. We are leaving. Come, we shall seek easier prey."

"Why should we!? Whoever made that is way over there, and these kids are still easy!" Dosu barked in return.

"Hey!" Ino roared, snapping out of her own fear, her eyes having trouble focusing on the genin in front of her rather than the blaze. She was largely ignored.

"Make no mistake. That attack was made by one of the members of the team we target. Just. One. We _will _need our strength if we… no, _if I_ am to face him again."

Dosu's eyes widened a visible fraction and he flinched, his eyes edging towards the inferno perhaps a mile away from them. Even Ino could tell it was little more than an attempt to save face. "Che. These losers are a waste of time anyway... Fine. Let's go."

The three genin leapt into the trees, leaving Ino's team alone in the clearing.

Ino let out a sigh of relief she hadn't known she'd been holding. She had wanted to fight but that tornado had sapped the will straight from her. She was afraid. Whoever could do something like that…? Who wouldn't be afraid?

'_Maybe I'm in a little over my head." _she thought sadly.

She didn't notice the red-haired boy hovering nearby, sand ready to strike and maim the sound nin in her defence.

Shikamaru Nara did. Wisely, he kept his mouth shut.

* * *

><p>"You cannot have it."<p>

Neji Hyuuga, currently wrapped in more bandages than Lee wrapped around his arms in a month, glared sharply at the pink haired girl hovering over him.

"You guys are already disqualified with Lee still down for the count, and far too injured to participate any further. No one will blame you for losing to an S class missing ninja either. Plus, you can't really stop us from taking it." Sakura reasoned with a calm smile.

Sunlight bathed the clearing that team Gai lay in. Broken and defeated, bandaged beyond recognition, Neji Hyuuga struggled and grit his teeth angrily as the girl rummaged around in his rucksack.

"Stop it! That's private! Ack-!" Neji barked from his place on the ground before hissing in pain. Yelling definitely wasn't a good idea.

"Oh settle down. I"m just looking for the scroll. Now lets see here. Change of clothes. Oooh is that string cheese? Awesome. Dibs! Oh, hey a picture of Tenten's in here!"

"THAT'S PRIVATE! You can't do this!" Neji bellowed, drawing further giggles from he pink haired girl.

Honestly Neji wasn't nearly as angry as he was implying. He'd been horribly certain that his spine had been injured beyond repair. That his limbs weren't and might never again function properly. Or at all. The pain wasn't good but knowing that he was still in control of his limbs was doing wonders for him. That and the fact that he was _alive_ at all. He couldn't really complain.

But it _burned_ his soul to watch a fellow team take his scroll, his ticket to becoming Chunin without even being able to put up some sort of fight. Verbally, it seemed, was the only avenue left to him.

His eyes wandered over to his companions, both more damaged that he. Tenten… she looked so strange with her hair down. Neji wanted to reach out and touch her cheek, and he might've done so if not for the searing pain it would cause.

Lee. What the hell had the Sanin done to him? That yellow chakra, like poison flowing into Lee's body and dissolving, was one of the last things Neji could remember. That, and the feeling of Tenten being squashed beneath him by the sannin's foot.

"Ah! Here we go! A perfect pair of Heaven and Earth scrolls and one second stage Chunin exam passed! Shannaro!"

"Are you even listening to me?" Neji asked sighed, resigned but still unwilling to let the matter go without _some_ resistance.

Sakura settled her eyes on the Hyuuga, making a point to meet his unnerving eyes in a way that few were capable of doing. The boy was complaining for the sake of complaining and he knew it. Orochimaru had decided to attack his team. He got dealt a bad hand and that was that. No reason for Sakura's team not to capitalize on it either.

"We _could_ have just left your team to die, you know. No bandages. No recovery. Just your team bleeding to death in the middle of the forest. Orochimaru probably wearing Lee's skin like the monster he is. If I were you I'd be happy you're alive to try again next time. Stop complaining. You're not in the competition any more. You can't even move! And on top of that, your teammates are still–!"

"Ugh… what the hell hit me?" Came a sudden moan from the bundle of bandages that contained Tenten.

"...Unconscious." Sakura finished lamely.

While Sasuke had dragged the beaten and bloodied members of team Gai away from Naruto's Firestorm and Sakura's battle within it, Tenten had been the only one capable of moving on her own. Barely managing to sling a little bit of Lee over her arm while Sasuke had draped the fully comatose Hyuuga over one shoulder and helped Tenten with Lee using his other. They'd limped away slowly. Tenten had been crying with horror at her two half-dead companions, but despite her fear it had not taken her long to pass out from her own exhaustion.

Forgetting Sakura entirely, Neji brought his entire focus onto his recovering teammate. Something almost akin to concern crossed his features for the barest of moments.

"Tenten. Are you well?"

"N-Neji…? What happened?" A moment passed where Tenten's eyes clouded in complete confusion as she stared between her teammate and the pink haired girl fiddling with their bags. Memory was a slow and sluggish thing but she remembered. Timidly, the girl hugged her shoulders as if seeking warmth despite the jungle's heat.

Tears welled in the girl's eyes as she stared mutely the injured but very much alert form of her brooding teammate, remembering his eyes flutter shut. Eyes she'd been terrified would never open the night before.

"_Oh god…_"

_A sharp thud. Her back burning as she skid across the ground, Neji trying vainly to take the damage for himself. Skidding to a halt as dirt and grime seeped into her back. Her breath being choked from her as she felt the Sanin's foot slam down on Neji's back. His wide, pain filled eyes. A moment of bitter insanity overtaking her. She'd wanted to embrace the Hyuuga so much. For so long… she'd gotten her wish._

Heedless of the boy's injuries, memories of their brush with death haunting her vision, she flung herself to the Hyuuga and wrapped her arms around him, bawling like a baby into his hair.

"I thought… I thought you were… N-Neji! Neji!" She wailed piteously.

The Hyuuga, unwilling to showcase the pain her jostling him caused, grunted instead. The girl immediately noticed her blunder but couldn't bring herself to break the embrace entirely. With a stammered apology she lay the boy's head down on her lap, gingerly stroking his hair and staring down with a smile as wide as the edge of the world, and tears draining like rivers down her cheeks.

"You'realright you'realright you'realright… By the six paths you're alright," the girl slurred, breathily. Her words ran together to the point of incomprehension but the emotion in her eyes made them unimportant.

Sakura felt a moment of pity, remembering a time when she'd been forced to take care of both her boys when they'd been unconscious in this very forest. Suddenly guilty at how blithely she'd been about taking the team's scroll, she turned and moved to inspect Lee once more. This had been no normal fight. No. Team Gai might've been shattered beyond repair, and here she was treating it like a game. Lee and Neji both had become jounin in her own future, Neji being one of the seven who'd helped her take down Orochimaru. But Tenten…? Sakura barely remembered the housewife she'd become. A civilian. A washout. Not that she scorned the girl for her choice but… had it been something like this? Maybe a fight that had been too much for her had pushed her away from her path as a Shinobi. Would this break her? Sakura feared it might. Perhaps even earlier this time. For a moment, she felt remorse. Not for the pain they had experienced but for the sister kunoichi she might have lost once again. The ally she'd failed to protect long enough to ready her for the rigors of the Shinobi world.

"_Those who abandon their friends are worse than trash," _the words echoed hollowly in the back of her mind.

"I got fish!" Came an exuberant cry from the east. Effectively ruining whatever moment Neji and Tenten might've been having, Naruto came spilling out of the foliage with a literal hoard of fish carried in a net that looked far too weak to support the ridiculous load he'd acquired.

And just like that, Sakura found her heart lighter. Her guilt evaporated as if it had never been. Naruto. Silly joyous, and heartwarming Naruto. An idiot he might be at times but she knew, she just knew, that if anyone could get team Gai through this on their feet, he could.

She fiddled with Lee's bandages, checking them for loose holds. For the most part the boy was undamaged save for what opening the gates caused to himself. Whatever Orochimaru had done to him though was keeping him down for the count. Even so, his breathing was steady and even. The rhythm of sleep, not near-death.

"You sure do pack a punch, don't you Lee?" she asked the unconscious boy, brushing a hair of his bowl cut out of his eyes. He actually was a little cute.

"How's fuzzy brows doing, Sakura chan?" Naruto asked, plopping the fish down by the fire with a fleshy smack.

_'Nowhere near as cute as you Naruto.'_ thought the pinkette with a smile. "Oh he's-"

"Fixed." Neji interrupted, his eyes fixated on the green clad member of his team. Tenten had finally let go of him and was wiping at her tear-stained cheeks, embarrassed. She couldn't seem to bring herself to stop looking at Neji though. The boy, on the other hand, had his Byakugan active and focused sharply on Lee. "His coils aren't twisted anymore. They look normal. Flooded and burned from his use of the gates but still. Normal."

"Fixed? What was wrong with him? He seemed pretty awesome to me. What I saw of his fight anyway." Naruto asked, scratching his head.

Sakura watched him and abruptly realized the boy wasn't wearing his usual orange jacket. Despite the closeness she'd shared with Sasuke only a few days ago, she found herself unable to deny the sudden rush of attraction the swept over her. She sharply turned her view back to Neji, trying to mimic Naruto's confusion and desperately trying not to blush.

_'What is this shit? I'm a god-dammed Jounin! Sasuke and I in the Tsukiyomi just three days ago did... and now I'm...!'_ She chastised herself sharply. It didn't help the blood rushing to her face. She still recalled the things she'd done in her true body before leaping off the edge of the world with awe. The fearlessness she'd felt when trapped in Sasuke's Tsukiyomi, his skill making her what she truly had been without all the baggage and hangups of her Genin self.

Her battle with Orochimaru had been a joke. He'd been unprepared and Naruto's Firestorm –holy shit that had been cool!– had caught the sannin off guard. Despite their victory, what she could do now was still a pitance compared to what she'd been capable of before.

Before... The sannin wouldn't have escaped.

She was 'not' a jounin, though sometimes she felt like she was. During her better moments. But the truth was she was still Sakura. Which Sakura, she wasn't sure. The tiny girl, embarassed by the presence of a good looking boy, or the kunoichi madly in 'love-and-hate' with a now-deceased Hokage.

_'The Kunoichi one. Definitely. Chaaa! Sasuke's hot! But Naruto... he's really sweet sometimes.'_ Shannaro-chan blared in her mind, then the split personality became indignant. _"Hey, stop confusing me!"_

In her mind, Sakura barked a bitter laugh. "Oh Shannaro-chan. I have no idea what I want, do I? I feel like I'm at war with myself. Part of me is genin and full of life while the other part is ashamed of being so childish. I've faced being unable to make children and now I'm barely a teenager! Why am I so…? God, if even you are confused. Naruto… Sasuke. They both mean so much to me, now."

Shannaro-chan's thoughts hesitated for a moment, which she almost never did.

After several moments, Sakura actually started to worry about the little figment in her mind. What could've silenced her? "Shannaro-chan?"

The burst of words came like an alarm.

_Stop thinking about it so much, dumbass! So you love em both? Big whoop. They're both on your team. Keep them safe, and help them with their dreams. Stop trying to micromanage the whole world! Just because you know 'a' future doesn't mean you know 'the' future! Get your head out of that 40,000 year old girl you used to be! You're thirteen and have your whole life ahead of you again! Stop trying to plan it and live it!_

Sakura blinked. Hard. Where the hell had _that_ come from?

She felt Shannaro-chan pull back in her mind a little, bashfully. Still the figment continued on, brazenly.

_You're always so wound up on what might happen if you don't do things right. Like, if you flirt with Sasuke a little you'd end up hurting Naruto. If you find Naruto attractive you feel like you're betraying that other Sasuke but that isn't how life works. You can't make a script that will lead you to either of their arms! You don't have to have a plan when it comes to your heart. Just do what you feel and everything will work itself out. Even the Sakura you used to be could've told you that._

Unexpected tears began to well in Sakura's eyes and she had to fake a sneeze to hide them. Unexplained tears. Why did she feel so touched? Kyuubi hovering inside her, slowly hoping to lead her to Naruto's arms. Sasuke returning as if from the dead, showing her the warmth there could be between them. She hadn't realized she'd been holding in so much stress, but Shannaro seemed to know right where to hit the dam in order to spring a leak.

'_Th-thanks… thanks Shannaro-chan." _

_Yeah, yeah. Can we be done with this touchy feely stuff now? Its not really my department you know. Get back to looking at Naruto before he puts that hideous jumper back on! Shannaro!_

The conversation had gone on without her. She'd long known about Lee's lack of Ninjutsu or Genjutsu and found herself drifting in and out as Neji explained Lee's weakness, bored by information she already knew well. Meanwhile, Naruto listened while skinning fish before laying them over the fire to cook.

* * *

><p>While the other members of team 7 and team Gai spoke, Sasuke spent his time training a short distance away. He hung upside down from one of the trees, perfecting familiar Uchiha kata while making sure to never let himself fall from the branch, his brow dripping sweat onto the ground below.<p>

They'd fled the battle scene, Sasuke grumbling all the while about his mandatory 'non-combatant' status with the snake sannin. His memories of the man, the ones that came from his future self, did not speak well of their first meeting. Despite the slight wound to his pride, Sasuke had no problem staying out of that particular battle.

He didn't want Naruto to have to die pushing out Orochimaru's influence. Again. Shinobi 101: Keep the target as far from opposition as possible. From his older self's memories, he knew he'd been the target. It only made sense for him not to show himself.

His thoughts ran a little too far from him for comfort at the moment, and all of them centered around his two teammates.

Naruto. He'd been so annoyingly passionate about his value _before_ he gained the Sharingan that Sasuke almost found himself agreeing with him. Either way, that was irrelevant.

Somehow Naruto had gone and become his brother. Fuck, he was going to have to watch out for the blonde for the rest of his life. Still. His dream of reviving the Uchiha clan literally twice as likely now so he couldn't complain. He wasn't entirely certain that whatever his older-self had done to Naruto would affect the blonde's kids but he knew for a fact that he never did anything half-way. If he were ever forced to give away his eyes, he'd want to affect the recipient's blood so the line would live on as well.

Even more surprising was that Naruto's eyes hadn't changed. Still the same blue they always were, but he could activate the Sharingan just like Sasuke could. Incredible. It must have taken years of research to figure out how to use the Tsukiyomi for such a thing. He was certain. His older self _had_ become strong enough. He had become Hokage after all.

And that meant that _he_ could become strong enough. Strong enough to wipe Itachi off the map. But therein lay the problem. Sasuke had used the Tsukiyomi which meant that he had killed… his best friend. And which also meant that he would have to kill Naruto or Sakura. But there was a major difference between him and his older self now. For him, killing Naruto was no longer acceptable. Killing a fellow Uchiha would make him just like his brother.

Which left him with just one other option.

He had no choice but to soar beyond her. He would use her. Use her and learn from her, this Jounin kunoichi who hailed from a distant, and largely hidden future. He would until he rivalled her...

...and then he would cut her down.

He didn't even notice the tear sliding down his cheek as he realized where his future lay, and began to firm his heart to what would have to come to pass. He'd always been hard. But now he would have to make himself cold as well.

Naruto would probably never forgive him.

* * *

><p>"I… have a task for you. A task you will… ahh… accomplish or die trying."<p>

"My lord Orochimaru. My will is yours."

"Kabuto has failed me, his team eliminated in the first round. The weakling team is unreliable. They are not strong enough to handle this request. Luckily, I entered you three into this little exam."

"..."

"Your previous orders are rescinded. You will complete the second stage of this exam. During the third stage or before, you will murder the genin Sakura Haruno."

"Really! Fuck yes!"

"Understood, Lord Orochimaru."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

I know people seem to like this little ficcy, and I have also noted that you can apparently add cover art to your fanfics now. Cool and all but I suck at drawing. So I thought, hey. I have a shitload of fans, some of whom probably would be willing and able to draw a relatively badass Kyuubi-fied Sakura and paste a title over it. Why not ask?

So I'm officially requesting fanart. I found that artwork helps me visualize how to write what I want. I'll spend hours on Google images or deviantart looking for that one piece of badassery that can define an entire scene. Hehe.

I've developed a new system of writing that has been working out very well for me lately. Its very simple. Each night I lay down in bed but don't wanna go to sleep so I usually end up reading a fic or looking at reviews or something. So I thought, why don't I use that time for something more productive?

Got a cheapo laptop and have literally been writing at least 500 words a night ever since. One week and I doubled the length of this chapter and finished it after letting it mold on my for nigh on a year. Still didn't get the chapter quite as far as I wanted to but thats okay. Preliminaries come next! We're down two teams but I'm calling AU and adding one for the funzies!

Once again. Apologies. Feel free to kick me in any reviews you decide to leave!

Ja!  
>MB<p> 


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